The Candidate's Daughter
by Abby J and Amber L
Summary: As Jed runs his re-election campaign for congress, Elizabeth struggles with a secret that will change the Bartlets' lives forever. Part 15 of the Snapshots of the Past series. Story Complete!
1. Chapter 1

Series: Snapshots of the Past

Story: The Candidate's Daughter

Chapter 1

Disclaimer: The characters depicted in this story belong to NBC, WB, Aaron Sorkin, and John Wells. We're just borrowing them for some fun :)

Story Summary: As Jed runs his re-election campaign for congress, Elizabeth struggles with a secret that will change the Bartlets' lives forever. Part 15 of the Snapshots of the Past series.

Feedback is always appreciated!

Author's Note: In real life, 1986 represented a mid-term election cycle, but given that on The West Wing, Jed won his presidential election in 1998, 1986 had to be a presidential election year for the fictional Bartlets. Therefore, starting with this story where Reagan will be completing his final months in office, the show's fictional former presidents will occupy the Oval Office from now on. And by the way, if anyone has a list of the order in which they served on the show, I'd greatly appreciate it!

- - -

* * *

June 1986

In the Spring of '86, Jed Bartlet had his hands full. On the pop culture front, 'Out of Africa' won an Oscar for best picture, the Boston Celtics defeated the Houston Rockets to win the NBA championship, and the 'Hands Across America' campaign earned international attention when over five million people participated in the fundraising effort for hunger and homelessness by forming a human chain from New York City to Long Beach, California.

But it was politics with which Jed was concerned. He was running for re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives and he'd had his campaign strategy already mapped out. The Rogers Commission, appointed by President Reagan, had just released its findings on the investigation into the Challenger explosion. That's what he expected would dominate his campaign speeches over the summer months, but it wasn't. Something much closer to the hearts of his constituents had led the headlines since late April and by June, that was all anyone in New Hampshire wanted to talk about - nuclear power.

A malfunction at the Chernobyl Power Plant in the Soviet Union had caused multiple explosions and fires that shot radioactive elements into the atmosphere, killing thousands and forcing the evacuation of more than 300,000 residents. It steered the national debate in America and because New Hampshire was in the process of building its own nuclear power plant, it also steered Jed's primary campaign

On a sunny day in June, he headed up a conference call with his district office staff, senior campaign aides, and his Washington staff to pen a new strategy going into summer press interviews. The Seabrook Station, the budding power plant on the southern coast of the state, had become such a controversy that a group of protesters known as the Clamshell Alliance had recruited people from around the country to help them with demonstrations. When those demonstrations ended in arrests, it became an urgent political issue for Jed.

"I've got five minutes," he said, playing the conference call on a speaker phone from his campaign headquarters, the old warehouse on Elm Street that had also been used for his first campaign.

"We're still getting calls." That was Michael, his Chief of Staff in the DC office. "Samantha's issuing multiple press releases a day, but the bottom line has to be that you don't support the arrest of citizens exercising their Constitutional rights."

"Were they breaking any laws?"

"It was a peaceful demonstration."

"Mark?" Jed asked.

Mark was his campaign director. He was sitting in the room with Jed at the campaign office "They spent one night in police custody and by all accounts, the state police acted professionally. A member of the Alliance is on the record in the New York Times as saying so."

"That has to be it then," Michael replied on speaker. "Feed them that line - the state police acted professionally, but while you might not agree with every word the Alliance says, you defend their right to say it."

"Fine, for today. What about tomorrow and the next day and the day after that? How am I supposed to run for re-election while balancing the pros and cons of nuclear power?"

"Very carefully."

"That's all you've got?" Jed was frustrated. "Look, I know this isn't easy guys. We're gonna piss someone off no matter what we do, but we have to figure it out and fast. It's been five weeks since Chernobyl and we're still playing it day-by-day."

"Seabrook is in your district, Congressman," Mark reminded him. "The polls positively show that voters are scared."

"And they have a right to be. But am I supposed to cave to that fear or play up the positives?"

"Part of our problem is that we don't know how you genuinely feel about it. Do you?"

Jed could have admitted he was on the fence, but his silence was admission enough. He saw both sides of the nuclear power debate. Coming on the heels of Chernobyl, he refused to succumb to the emotional fears that other politicians were fostering, yet he wasn't convinced that the advocates had it right either.

"It's Friday. I want a plan by Monday. A real one," he said.

Michael scribbled a note on his legal pad and went on without missing a beat, "Congressman, I need to switch gears. Before you go, I want to bring up Ernie Bennett."

"I've made up my mind on Bennett's bill, Michael! I'm not doing it!"

"Congressman..."

"It's the same damn bill he tried to shove down my throat when I first got to Washington. I didn't support it then and I sure as hell won't support it now!"

"It's not exactly the same."

"It's close enough."

"It's sex education, Congressman."

"No, that's precisely what it's NOT. I will not put my name on any bill that allows free access to condoms in schools without so much as a word of caution. If Bennett wants my support, he'll amend his bill to mandate that any safe-sex lecture kids receive will also include the mention of abstinence as an option."

"I'm saying that it's being presented as a sex-ed bill and with Abbey running a sex-ed class at the hospital, this will turn into a battle we're not prepared to fight."

"Abbey's class has nothing to do with this bill. She's teaching teenagers about the consequences of sex. She isn't just handing out condoms on a street corner. Abbey asked for parents' permission for every teen enrolled in her class. Bennett doesn't give a damn about parents, as if what their 14 and 15 year olds do is none of their business!"

"I still think it's a mistake. You're positioning yourself in a very precarious position without any allies. You won't support the bill with the Democrats, but you won't support an abstinence-only program with the Republicans either."

"Why does it have to be one or the other? God forbid we should find some middle ground on this topic."

"I have to agree with Michael," Mark interjected. "This is a mistake."

"And you'll get a chance to tell me why." Jed pushed his chair back. "But not now. I've gotta go. My daughters have this thing and their mother can't make it, so I need to get out there. We'll continue this in a few hours. I'll call from home."

He hung up the phone, grabbed his briefcase, and strolled into the lobby of his office, where he had set up a desk for his new office manager, Delores Landingham. Mrs. Landingham had settled in nicely since moving back to New England. Once she was all moved in to her new place, she started work at Jed's campaign headquarters and proved quickly what an asset she was.

"Mrs. Landingham, I'm going to be out for a while."

Mrs. Landingham jotted down a note on a message pad as he passed through.

"Okay. Mrs. Bartlet called again," she said. "She's swamped at the hospital and doesn't know when she'll be home."

"No, no, no, she has to be home on time today. She's supposed to help Elizabeth this afternoon."

"It's an emergency. She said it was unavoidable."

"Damn, Lizzie's gonna be pissed. You wouldn't happen to know a reliable seamstress in the area, would you? Someone who can hem a prom dress in minutes?" It was the day of the prom and Liz was sure to be a wreck when she learned of this latest snag, Jed thought.

"No, but you don't have to worry about it. Mrs. Bartlet fixed it."

"The dress?"

"The problem. The hem wasn't that long, so she gave Elizabeth permission to use her credit card to buy the shoes with the higher heel."

"My 18-year-old daughter is buying a hundred-and-fifty dollar pair of shoes that she will only wear one time and I don't have to worry about it? Fantastic."

Unhappily rolling his eyes, he grabbed his car keys and stalked out of the office.

- - -

* * *

There was a board hanging off the East wall on the surgical floor of the hospital. On it was the list of surgeries and O.R. suites. Patients were posted by last name and the initials of the surgeon on the case was written next to them, followed by the operating room the doctor had booked. Abbey spent minutes each morning learning the board and in between operations, she always studied it again.

On that day in June, she saw something that bothered her and she turned to the nurse's station nearby.

"Can you page Dr. Harkin for me please?"

She waited until second-year resident, Dr. Zack Harkin, approached.

"I was paged?" he asked at the nurse's station.

"Dr. Harkin," Abbey called from behind him. "They're bringing accident victims from ER."

"I know. I'm assisting you."

"So you put your name on the board?"

"Yeah, sorry, I didn't want to bug you and I just figured you wouldn't care."

"I do care. You were on call last night?"

"Yes."

"And the night before?"

"Dr. Neil was sick. I volunteered."

"You've been at the hospital for 42 hours, which means it's time for you to go home."

"What?" Harkin was stunned. Never before had he been asked to leave.

"You need to sleep."

"I'm not the least bit tired."

"Well, you're sleep deprived. And as impressed as I am by your work ethic, I don't want you in the O.R. Go home, get some rest, continue your regular shift this weekend. I'll see you on Monday."

Abbey breezed past him to scrub in as Harkin stood there, annoyed and speechless.

- - -

* * *

It was Field Day at Manchester Elementary. The school year was winding down and summer was fast approaching. The kids had so much energy, too much to sit in a stuffy classroom and pay attention to yet another math lecture. That was the basis for inventing Field Day, Jed thought on the drive over. Whoever came up with it was probably being overrun with listless school children, too hyper to do anything but run around.

The sun shined bright that day, the first Friday in June, as kids from every grade raced out of their classes and onto the field, excited about the annual sports contest. They had all been assigned games they would compete in, something that their teachers had seen them excel at during the year. The older kids, like Ellie, were slated for the more demanding track and field athletic sports, like sprinting and hurdling, while the younger kids, like Zoey, would get to compete in things like the three-legged race and the water balloon toss.

Since Abbey couldn't be there to watch, it was up to Jed to cheer his two daughters to victory and hope that they wouldn't feel her absence. He called out to them when he got to the field and gave them both a big thumbs-up from the stands when they waved back. Zoey was first and as she took her spot for the potato sack race, he clapped louder than anyone else.

"GO ZOEY!" he shouted the whole time she hopped down her lane, his voice rivaling those of the other proud parents who were screaming for their kids alongside him.

Across the field, Ellie jumped up and down, rooting for her sister.

The whole race took just a few minutes and at the end, a disappointed Zoey walked away in fourth place. She didn't have time to sulk over her loss, though, because after a five-minute breather, her next event was due to start - jump rope. This time, she walked to her position among five of her kindergarten classmates, determined to jump the longest without stumbling.

Jump rope wasn't an activity Zoey was particularly good at, but it was one that she enjoyed. Her teachers noted that her hand-eye coordination wasn't the best. Still, she was chosen as one of the five to compete because they knew it was her favorite sport. That day, her adrenaline was pumping. Her heart was racing. She jumped high and she jumped fast. Too fast. Her rope got tangled in her feet within seconds and just like that, it was over. She had lost.

With a fifth place finish and no other events left, she hung her head as she walked to the sidelines to watch the other games going on. Jed's heart broke for her. He wanted so badly to run out onto the field, scoop her up in his arms, and take away her sadness. But he couldn't. He had to wait until the whole thing was over before he could reassure his little girl.

Over on the track, Ellie prepared for her first event. She was a good athlete, the most talented in the family, Jed always said. She had a great love of sports and she was good at so many of them. It came as no surprise to him and Abbey when she qualified to compete in the 50-yard dash, the obstacle course, tug-of-war, and the girls 50-meter hurdle.

Jed watched her stretch her legs and her arms just before each contest, then watched as she came in first, beating out her peers over and over again. His heart still breaking for Zoey, he cheered for his middle daughter and pumped his fist in the air every time she crossed the finish line or in the case of tug-of-war, when her team yanked the rope so hard that the flag went several feet past the cone marker. He shouted her name and wished that Abbey had been there to share the moment with him.

Right after her last event, an enthusiastic Ellie ran over to Zoey. She had been so busy stretching for the 50-yard dash when Zoey was competing in jump rope that she hadn't been able to see it. Zoey gave her a congratulatory high-five and with fresh tears in her eyes, she told her that she finished fifth. From the stands, Jed saw Ellie wrap an arm around her little sister and walk her over to a crowd of her sixth-grade friends to cheer her up as they all waited for the ribbon ceremony.

- - -

* * *

The juniors and seniors at Elizabeth's high school had their own celebration planned. It was Prom Night. Students were only required to attend a half-day of school so that they could prepare for the evening's activities. For Liz and her friends, those preparations included a stop at an upscale salon and day spa in Bedford to have their nails, hair, and make-up done. Afterwards, the four girls stopped by the flower shop to pick up the boutonnières they had ordered for their dates and returned to the Bartlet farmhouse, with their dresses protected in garment bags, to get ready for the big dance.

When they reached Liz's bedroom, Morgan began switching things she'd need from her regular purse to the sequined clutch she wanted to use that night. Holding up a handful of condoms, she turned a shameless eye to her friends. "Check it out, girls!"

"Good God, Morgan, nobody's that randy!" Tori teased.

"Curt is. He's renting a room."

Liz didn't pay much attention to the talk. Morgan and Curt had been sleeping together for months now. It was no surprise that they'd arranged a secret rendezvous at prom. That was one of the reasons Liz wasn't wild about the event being held in a hotel ballroom to begin with. She wondered how many other couples had reserved rooms and planned to sneak out during the dance.

"You got some extras there?" Kimberly asked. She raised her hand to catch them when Morgan tossed her a couple. "Thanks! Rick never comes prepared...pun intended."

Morgan laughed as Kimberly threw a pillow at her. She looked over at Liz then. "Liz?"

"Huh?"

"You want one? I mean, just in case."

The girls knew Liz and Doug hadn't been intimate yet.

"No, I'm good."

"You don't have to sleep with him, but it wouldn't hurt to carry it with you. You never know when you're gonna wanna do it. You might as well be prepared."

"Trust me, nothing's going to happen between me and Doug tonight."

"Don't you ever want to? I mean, don't you have the urge to?"

"Sometimes." Liz blushed slightly. "I mean, yeah, I have urges and all. Doug's the first guy who's ever brought them out in me. But..."

"But what? He's been pursuing you for a year," Tori replied.

"TWO YEARS," Kimberly corrected. "He was trying to get a date with her when her dad was running for congress the first time."

"Yeah, well, he didn't get a date with me back then. We were friends. We haven't been officially dating that long."

"Whatever, he's been into you for two years, right?" Kimberly questioned.

"I guess."

"He's not going anywhere if that's what you're worried about. No guy chases a girl for two years just for sex."

"That's NOT what I'm worried about! Doug's not like that." Liz was adamant. "You guys, I really don't want to talk about it. I'm not ready yet."

There was silence for several minutes until Morgan stepped in to take the heat off.

"I think that's cool, Liz," she said. "That you want to wait and all. I wish I had waited. I mean, with Curt it's great. I'm happy and I feel like I'm really in love. But he wasn't my first, you know? I wanna marry him and he wasn't my first. I wish he had been."

"That's what I worry about," Liz confided. "I'm not saying I have to wait until my wedding night, but when I go all the way with a guy, I want it to be the man I'm going to be with forever. And it's just too soon to tell with Doug."

"Do you love him?"

"I do. I didn't think I would, not when I first met him. But he has this thing about him. He makes me feel so comfortable, so connected to him in this weird kinda way. We don't have that much in common, but it doesn't matter. I feel like I can be myself around him and that he thinks I'm special just for being me. He's sweet and attentive. He has a good heart and that's what I care about. It's like I've fallen in love with his heart and the rest of it just isn't important."

"So what's the hold-up?" Kimberly prodded.

"I can't tell if he feels the same."

- - -

* * *

Back at the hospital, Abbey had finished her last surgery, changed out of her scrubs, and threw on her street clothes in the locker room. She was about to head out the door when Robert Nolan saw her. He rushed up and fell into step with her as they left the main building and walked out toward the parking lot.

She addressed him pre-emptively. "Don't do it, Robert. Don't tell me there's been another accident. Elizabeth will never forgive me if I don't get home right now."

"Relax, I just wanted to warn you so you're not thrown off on Monday."

"What?"

"Zack Harkin. He came to see me...about you."

"About me? Why?"

"You took him off a case and asked him to leave the hospital?"

"His shift was over."

"He wanted to stay. He's not happy that you kicked him off a case."

"He'd been up for 42 hours."

"Playing devil's advocate here, how do you know?" He persisted when she groaned in disbelief. "No, I'm serious. He just got off call. Half that time could have been spent sleeping in the call room."

"Come on, Robert. I was a resident once and so were you. How long did you sleep when you were on call? Besides, you could tell just by looking at his eyes that he hadn't slept. There may not be any rules in place, but I prefer residents who are wide awake and alert assisting me in surgery."

"Well, from now, I have to ask that you go through me when you make decisions about sending residents home."

"Through you?"

"As Chief of Surgery."

"You don't have more important things on your desk than to worry about when residents leave the hospital?"

"I need you to this, Abbey."

"This has never been a problem before."

"It is now."

"What aren't you telling me?"

"From now on, come to me. Okay?"

Abbey took a breath and looked away for a moment. Her eyes back on him, she finally said, "Fine. I'll check with you first."

He watched her pick up her pace and leave him behind on her way to her car.

- - -

* * *

"Is she home yet?"

"Yes, Elizabeth. In the 30 seconds since the last time you asked, your mother came home. I've now hidden her so that you can't find her." A prominent frown on her face, Liz turned back, making Jed feel guilty for teasing her. "Hey, get back here."

"It's the prom, Dad!" she blurted out from the top landing of the stairs. "It's the highlight of high school and she's not here!"

"Well, first of all, I think graduation is the highlight of high school. And second, calm down. Doug and the other guys aren't here yet, the limo isn't here yet. Your mom will be home soon."

"I wanted her home in time to see me before I left, to tell me how I look."

"I already told you how you look. You look beautiful."

"Yeah, but you're a Dad. You'll say I look great even if I have horns coming out of my head. Mom's honest about it. She tells me if I look out of place or if something doesn't go."

"Okay, so you can't count on me to be objective. What about your friends? There are three of them upstairs."

"No, you don't get it. It's more than just that. I wanted Mom. If she had said she couldn't make it, I wouldn't have counted on it. I wouldn't have gotten my hopes up. But she said she'd be here."

"And she will be."

"She promised she'd be home hours ago!"

"Your mom doesn't break promises just like that, Lizzie. There was a wreck on I-93. What did you want her to do, walk out on the patients?"

"Of course not."

"They needed her."

"I didn't know there was an accident."

"Now that you do, cut her some slack, huh? Finish getting ready. I'm about to put in a new roll of film for this."

Liz let out one more huff as she went back to her room.

- - -

* * *

Minutes later, Abbey crested the last hill on the gravel drive that led to the farmhouse and pulled up next to Jed's sedan in front of the garage, taking note with relief that the limo wasn't there yet to pick up the teens for the prom. She then waved at Ellie and her best friend, Wendy, who were playing basketball. They stopped dribbling momentarily as Abbey parked and stepped out of her car.

"Well? How'd it go?"

Ellie sprinted toward her. "FOUR first place ribbons!"

"I knew it!" Abbey gave her a high-five and then a hug. "Way to go! I'm so proud of you!"

"Thanks! Wendy got one for the relay!"

"Congratulations, Wendy."

"Thanks, Mrs. Bartlet."

Ellie's expression changed suddenly. "Zoey didn't do so hot."

"Oh no. What happened?"

"Fourth place in the potato sack race and fifth place in jump rope."

Abbey shook her head, disappointed. "I'll talk to her. How's Lizzie's prom prep going?"

"I dunno." Ellie shrugged. She and Wendy had been playing outside all afternoon. "I think she's mad at you for being late though."

"Yeah, what else is new?" Abbey assumed she would be. It was an important night for Liz and emergency or not, she had let her down.

"Mom, can Wendy spend the night?"

"Sure, if it's okay with her mom."

Inside the house, Jed and Zoey were in the foyer. Jed opened up a new roll of film and fumbled to put it in the camera so that he'd be ready when Liz and her friends started down the stairs. At the same time, he tried to console Zoey, who was still upset about her performance at Field Day. Growing up in the shadow of two older sisters who seemed to have been blessed with so many gifts, was tough enough to take on an ordinary day. But with her Field Day losses weighing on her mind, she was taking it even harder today.

"I just wanna win one time!" she kept saying. "Ellie won FOUR times and I can't even win one!"

"Ellie's in the sixth grade, Zo. She's had a lot more time to work on her athletic skills."

"But Ellie was good at sports even at my age!"

"Everyone is good at different things."

"Except me. I'm not good at anything."

Jed set the camera down on the console and bent down to look his daughter in the eye. "Now that's just not true. You are good at so many things, Zoey."

"Like what?"

"Like riding, for one. You can ride circles around Ellie and Lizzie. And you're the only one in the family who takes private riding lessons."

"Big deal."

"It IS a big deal," he assured her. "Riding is a sport, just like soccer and basketball and track and volleyball and, God forgive me, even cheerleading."

"It is?"

"Of course it is. Don't you remember when you first started riding and Mom signed you up for Pony Club? We talked about horse shows. There are a bunch of them and they award ribbons, trophies, and prizes for equestrian events."

That jogged Zoey's memory. "But Mommy said I was too young to compete in those."

"Maybe it's time we revisit the idea." Abbey said from the doorway. She had come in so quietly that neither Jed nor Zoey realized she was home until she spoke. "Ellie told me what happened."

"I lost."

"You didn't lose. You just didn't come in first." Abbey kneeled down to give her youngest daughter a comforting hug. "If you want, we can do some research on those junior equestrian competitions. Maybe talk about signing you up for one. Would you like to?"

The first spark of joy since school. Zoey's eyes grew to twice their size as she broke the embrace from Abbey. "YEAH!"

Jed threw his wife a glance. "Okay then. I'll take Zoey to her lesson this weekend and I'll ask her instructor how to get her started." He looked at Zoey next. "Sound like a plan, kiddo?"

Zoey nodded happily at that.

"Good." Abbey rose to her feet and headed toward the stairs. "Is Liz upstairs?"

"Yeah, but go easy. She's a little miffed that you weren't here on time." Jed followed her up. "Speaking of that, did you tell her she could borrow our credit card to buy those expensive shoes we agreed were too much for one dance?"

"I had to. Her dress would have dragged on the floor without a higher heel."

"And that wasn't planned for ahead of time?"

"Yes, but I couldn't fix it from the hospital, Jed."

"There are these people called seamstresses..."

"Who charge an arm and a leg to hem an evening gown I could finish in an hour. It was an inch too long. If I hadn't gotten held up at work, it would have been taken care of."

"All I'm saying is it's a ridiculous price to pay for something that will be hidden under her gown the whole time and that no one will ever see."

"Did she show them to you?"

"Yeah. They have more glitter than Dorothy's ruby slippers."

"That's why they cost what they do," she told him as they reached the top landing. "I'm going to help her get ready. Will you set up for pictures?"

Jed hurried back down the steps. "All right, Zoey, we're on!"

Upstairs, Abbey knocked on the door to her eldest daughter's bedroom. "Liz?"

She turned the knob and opened it to find Elizabeth standing in front of her, more beautiful than she'd ever seen her. Her hair had been curled and swept into a glamorous up-do, a style which revealed the small pink crystal earrings that shined at her ears. Her skin looked flawlessly natural. The make-up woman at the salon had used a shimmery powder to set her foundation and when she turned her head, Abbey could see a subtle hint of sparkle on her face and eyelids. Her strapless evening gown had a sweetheart neckline. It was ice pink with a delicate sprinkling of cream and clear-cut crystal beading to give it a bit of glitz. It was also layered and had a satin cream underlay that only showed when she walked, outlining the slit that opened to the bottom of her right thigh.

"You made it!" Liz beamed when she saw her. She twirled around. "What do you think?"

Abbey's voice caught in her throat as she eyed her daughter up and down. "You look like a princess. A real-life princess."

"I know you liked it when I tried it on at the boutique, but with the hair and make-up...it's not too much?"

"Not at all. It's perfect." She looked at the other girls. "All of you look perfect. Gorgeous actually."

Liz was visibly relieved. "Thank God! I was worried you were going to say I look too grown-up."

"No, you look the right amount of grown-up." Abbey smiled.

"Thanks. And thanks for letting me buy the shoes. Dad never would've gone for it."

"Let's see them."

Liz lifted the hem of her dress to show off her pink and clear shoes. "You like?"

"I LOVE! I just wish I could have been here to fix your gown, or to help you get ready, for that matter. I got out of the hospital as quickly as possible just to help."

"You were late and I couldn't wait anymore. I had to get dressed."

"I know."

"What happened at the hospital? The accident." Liz's expression was more grim now.

"A few casualties, but the ones we got into the O.R. in time, made it."

She sighed at that. Liz was often disappointed by Abbey's schedule, but she was always proud of her mom, never more so than when she saved lives. "Good."

"Forgive me for being late?"

"Yeah. They needed you."

Yes, they did, Abbey thought. She didn't feel guilty for performing life-saving surgery, but she did feel bad for not being home to help her daughter on this special night. She thought back to Lizzie's first boy-girl dance when she was 13. The blossoming teen would have been lost without her mom's assistance back then. She didn't have a clue how to get ready for a formal event. Abbey had been home the whole day to guide her and help her with everything.

Oh, how times had changed.

From downstairs, Ellie shouted up. "LIZZIE, THE GUYS ARE HERE!"

Morgan pulled the curtains to peek out the window. "The limo's pulling up too!"

Jed and Zoey began snapping pictures from the foot of the stairs when the four girls emerged from the room. Abbey made her exit first so she wouldn't disrupt any of the photos. Ellie grabbed her own camera and joined her family while Tori, Morgan, and Kimberly's dates approached. Doug showed up a few minutes later, carrying a small box with a beautiful white and pink wrist corsage in it.

"You look amazing," he whispered to Liz as he helped her slip the corsage over her hand.

After she pinned his boutonnière to his tux, everyone got ready for group photos.

Jed posed the couples on the staircase, two in front and two a step higher. After that round of pictures, they moved outdoors for two more rounds - one on the porch and one in front of the white stretch limousine. Abbey mentally earmarked copies of the snapshots for the mothers of the other kids, then nudged Jed and Ellie to let them go so they'd be on time for their dinner reservations.

As the limo pulled out of the drive, Jed turned to Abbey. "No curfew?"

"We said we trusted her enough to agree to no curfew on Prom Night, remember?"

"They're going to be out until after breakfast."

"It's the prom, Jed. A lot of couples stay out until after breakfast."

"Those other couples don't include our daughter."

"They have the limo until 6 a.m."

"I would have never signed off on that if you hadn't talked me into it."

"She's 18 now, honey. She's graduating high school in a week. We're letting her go to Mexico for the class trip..."

"Something else I wouldn't have signed off on."

"My point is, we have to let her spread her wings."

"She can spread them just fine at home in Manchester." He didn't back down when Abbey chuckled. "If she wanted to dress up tonight, she could have done that at home. We could have turned dinner into a black-tie affair."

Abbey wrapped her arm around his waist and they walked up the porch steps. "At least they'll be together tonight, all eight of them. And you know they won't be drinking. I don't think we have to worry."

"I hope you're right."

"We taught her well, Jed. She's going to be just fine."

- - -

* * *

Prom was held in the ballroom of the Marriott Hotel. Doug and Liz waltzed in arm-in-arm, catching a glimpse of the dance floor, then scanning all the tables that lined it. There were over 100 tables in the room, every one of them lit by candlelight. They had gift bags on them with disposable cameras to use during the night and a souvenir goblet with the name of their school and 'Prom '86' written in script lettering. In the corner of the room, a photographer sat ready to take pictures of the couples and present them with frames or keepsake key chains.

Liz and Doug spent most of the night dancing, with the exception of the few minutes they spent in line waiting to have their photo taken. They returned to their table, giddy with enthusiasm, when it was time to announce the King and Queen. Having been named Homecoming Queen at the beginning of the year, Liz had taken herself out of contention for this honor, so she and Doug sat back and watched as two of her classmates were crowned and urged to share a dance.

While Liz was lost in the moment, Doug couldn't stop staring at her. She wasn't just beautiful in his mind. She was smart and compassionate. She had a soul that wanted to save the world and a brain that would surely help her do it. He never dreamed that he'd be lucky enough to attract a girl like Elizabeth Bartlet. Now that he had, he couldn't imagine ever letting her go. Taking a deep breath, he moved to the chair beside her and pulled out a little velvet box from his pocket.

"I've been waiting all night to do this."

He opened the box to show her the promise ring he had bought. She gasped when she saw it. It had a silver band and two criss-crossing ribbons of tiny diamonds with a pink heart intertwined. Liz sat motionless for a few seconds, her heart practically beating out of her chest.

"Oh, Doug."

"It's a promise ring. This next year is gonna be kinda weird with you starting college at Wellesley in Massachusetts. I just wanted you to know that I'm always going to be here for you and that even though we'll be further apart in distance, we'll still be close together in our hearts." A brief pause and then, "I love you, Liz."

"I love you too." Her eyes shining in tears, Liz held out her right hand so Doug could slip the ring on her finger.

They both rose to their feet and kissed, melting into each others arms and swaying to the music as the last song of the evening began to play. It was Ben E. King's 'Stand By Me' and during that very special dance, the lyrics burned into Liz's heart.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Series: Snapshots of the Past

Story: The Candidate's Daughter

Chapter 2

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Previously: Jed strategized with his campaign and Washington staff; Zoey lost her two field day events while Ellie bagged four first-place ribbons; Abbey sent a second-year resident home after a long shift; Doug gave Elizabeth a promise ring when they attended her senior prom

Summary: Jed helps Abbey work out a problem; Abbey tries to stall Jed when he has to get ready for a meeting with the teachers' union

Author's Note: Special thanks those who emailed with information on the former West Wing presidents!

- - -

* * *

It was early Saturday morning when Jed opened his eyes to find his wife missing from their bed. He immediately looked over at the bathroom, but the door was open and he could see that Abbey wasn't there. He got out of bed and reached for his robe, knotting the belt as he walked out of the room and groggily down the stairs toward the sound of running water in the kitchen.

There she was, rinsing out a saucepan. Her hair was tousled, her posture slumped. Jed could see the tension from several feet away. Her body was stiff with stress. A floral silk robe was tied so loosely at her waist that the right side fell off her shoulder, revealing the thin strap of the emerald green nightgown she had worn to bed. Jed walked up behind her, slow enough that he wouldn't scare her, and placed his hands gently on her shoulders.

"You're supposed to be off work today, aren't you?" he asked, his fingers digging deep into her flesh to massage her muscles.

"Yeah. I'm just making some warm milk." Abbey allowed her head to relax against his frame. "Did I wake you?"

"You know I can't sleep when you're not next to me. Your body changes the shape of the mattress."

"Changes the shape of the mattress?" She stepped out of his hold and turned to face him. "What the hell does that mean?"

"Nothing. It's just...nothing."

"It means something."

"No, it doesn't."

"Changes the shape of the mattress. Don't tell me it means nothing. Is that your not-so-subtle way of saying I've gained weight?"

Where that came from, he didn't know.

"Abbey, I swear, it's just something I said without any forethought whatsoever." Jed took the saucepan from her. "Now, what's the matter? What's keeping you up and making you cranky?"

"I couldn't sleep, that's all."

"You just bit my head off for no reason, sweetheart. What's going on?"

Abbey looked at him, her expression softening now. "Something happened at the hospital and I've been replaying it in my mind all night."

"What is it?"

"I sent a second-year resident home because he'd been up for 42 hours."

"So? You did the right thing."

"Except he went to Robert Nolan behind my back and Robert wasn't too happy with me for doing it."

"Why?"

She took the pan back from him and walked over to the stove with a carton of milk she retrieved from the fridge. "He told me from now on, I need to go through him when I want to send a resident home."

"Will that be a problem?"

"Yes."

"Why?" Jed fetched some nutmeg and joined her by the stove.

"Because I'm an attending, Jed. If I don't trust a resident to assist in surgery, I should be able to do something about it."

"Honey, I don't want to criticize, but is it possible that Robert knew it was about more than just feeling uncomfortable with a resident in surgery?"

"What do you mean?"

"You haven't exactly been quiet about your disapproval of resident work hours. Maybe Robert sees you trying to circumvent rules already in place."

"There are no rules in place, that's the problem."

"Unspoken rules. There are unspoken rules in the hospital. Isn't that what you always used to tell me?"

"What are you getting at?" she asked, stirring the milk.

"I understand you wanting to change things, I do. The Libby Zion case in New York angered you a lot. It did me too."

"She was 18 years old, Jed, the same age that Lizzie is now. She'd probably be alive today if the resident who treated her hadn't been so over-worked and sleep-deprived."

"I know, I get it. I'm with you on this, Abbey. Really, I am. But I wonder if you're going about it in the wrong way. I wonder if there's a better way to get your voice heard at the hospital. There are channels, right?"

"None that are available to me. The majority of attendings don't want reduced hours for residents, especially in surgery. And the residents don't want it either."

"I can wrap my mind around attendings not wanting to send residents home - they need the help - but why are residents gung-ho about sticking around for 36-hour shifts every other day?"

"The training clock doesn't stop. Reduced hours means more years in training. A residency that would have taken seven years will take nine or 10 years if there's a cap on work hours."

"So it's better to put patients' lives at risk with sleepy doctors?"

"Nice logic, isn't it? Who knows how many Libby Zions there are out there?" She grabbed two mugs from the cupboard and began to pour milk into them. "So, how do you think I should handle it?"

"I'm no expert on hospital politics."

"I'm asking."

Jed took one of the mugs as he and Abbey walked over to the table to sit down. "Rob Nolan's a friend. I think you should talk to him. One-on-one, tell him your concerns and ask for his help."

"I thought of that, but..."

"What?"

"He's on the opposite side. He hasn't said it, but I know he is."

"So convince him. Listen to me, Abbey, when you're on a mission to change someone's mind about something, you're relentless. Talk to Robert, make him understand your position." He could tell she wasn't as sure as he was. "What do you want to happen in the long run? That's what you need to get across."

"I want to revamp our residency program," she said. "No more 36-hour shifts. No more 24-hour shifts even. Let us be the first in the country to set a trend and put patient safety above everything else. And if he disagrees with that, then what the hell is he doing parading around as a physician? He took an oath. 'First, do no harm.' We all said it. Before any of us walked across the stage and got our degree, we promised that our patients would always come first. Did he forget that? Why isn't it the first point made when arguing work hours? As if anything is more important than the care of the sick and vulnerable patients who've entrusted their lives to us, as if anything matters more than that."

Jed smiled at the passion in her voice. "And people think I'm the politician in the family."

Abbey smiled back with a shake of her head. "I don't know how you do this kind of thing full-time."

The sound of a key jiggling the lock to the front door interrupted them. They glanced at the clock on the wall. It was after 6 a.m. It had to be Elizabeth. Jed got that look on his face, the one that suggested he wanted to rush out to grill her on what she did all night. But Abbey held him back, a move that meant she also had to stifle her curiosity out of respect for Liz's privacy. They stayed at the table and waited.

Having seen the kitchen light on, it took only moments for Liz to get there. Her prom dress was protected inside a garment bag and draped over her arm. Her formal updo was now a ponytail and she had changed into a pair of denim shorts and a short-sleeved cotton shirt after the dance, but the corsage Doug gave her was still on her wrist.

"Are you guys waiting up for me?"

"Believe it or not, we weren't," Abbey told her. "How was prom?"

"Everything I expected it to be and more!" Liz was positively giddy. "Is it okay if Morgan, Tori, and Kim crash in my room for a few hours? We didn't get any sleep."

Jed raised a brow. "There aren't any guys with you?"

"No, we dropped them off."

"It's fine then." He tried to sound nonchalant when he asked, "So, what'd you do after the dance?"

"Jed." Abbey admonished him with a slap to his wrist.

"What? I'm curious what teenagers do when they're out all night."

"We agreed we wouldn't give her the third degree about her evening."

"I'm not. I'm giving her the third degree about her morning."

"It's okay," Liz offered. She was clearly in a good mood. "If you want to know, we drove down to Hampton Beach for a post-prom bonfire party."

"And that's it?" Jed prodded more. "You just sat on the beach all night?"

"And then we went out to breakfast at a diner nearby. Relax, Dad, everyone was on their best behavior..." The temptation to mess with him was too great. "Except for, you know, when we all got drunk and went skinny dipping in the ocean."

She gave a mischievous little giggle that broke Jed's steely stare.

"You're a pain in the ass."

"Yes, I know," Liz admitted with a broad smile. "It's a wonder you never gave me up for adoption."

"I tried," Jed assured her. "Your mom said no."

Liz kept her smile, but adopted a more serious tone. "We just hung out, honest." She took a beat and then, "I'm gonna sleep for a few hours."

She bent down to give her father a kiss on the cheek, then went to her mother.

Abbey pulled back when she noticed the sparkling jewel on her daughter's finger. "Liz?"

Liz followed her mom's gaze. "It's from Doug. Don't freak out. It's just a promise ring."

Jed examined it. "What's a promise ring and what's he doing giving you one?"

"It just means we're exclusive. It's a promise that we're not dating other people."

"Are those real diamonds?"

"I don't know. I thought it would be rude to ask. Anyway, it's no big deal," she said firmly enough to try to convince them. "I'm heading up. I'm tired."

She practically floated out of the room, leaving Jed and Abbey to share their concern. This infatuation with Doug was supposed to fade. Liz was finally given permission to date him because Jed thought that once she did, she'd become bored and realize they had so little in common. She was supposed to get it out of her system, rid herself of the schoolgirl lust, and turn to boys who had the same interests she did, boys who dreamed big and had the focus and ambition that Doug sorely lacked.

That wasn't what was happening though. Somehow, she was falling deeper and deeper in love with Doug. Abbey suggested that maybe they underestimated Doug, that maybe he was a different person when he was with Liz. Jed scoffed. The young man who sat at their dinner table and reeked of arrogance while he babbled in circles when questioned about his life plans, that was the real Doug, he said, and he couldn't understand why Liz was still dating him. Doug might have treated her well, but there had to be more to a relationship than that. There had to be an intellectual connection, a bond over future goals and desires, mutual hobbies and interests and profound conversations about them, all the things he shared with Abbey. He couldn't fathom what it was about Doug Westin that attracted Elizabeth so strongly. But she was 18 now, capable of making her own decisions. Jed reluctantly accepted that all he could do was wait and hope that Liz wasn't sacrificing these last few carefree months before college with a man who couldn't possibly bring her long-term happiness.

- - -

* * *

"Jed, how does this look?"

Trick question, Jed thought. The only right answer was that it looked good. After all, Abbey was the one with the eye for fashion and she had already bought whatever outfit it was, so she must have liked it. How could he say it was awful, even if it was? He sat back against the headboard of the bed in the master bedroom, completing a crossword puzzle while he waited for her to finish getting ready so he could jump in the shower.

She stepped out of bathroom to show him what she was wearing.

"It's beautiful," he said without looking up.

"You know I hate when you answer without looking."

"It's gorgeous, Abbey. If it's on your body, it's gorgeous."

"Someday, flattery won't work."

"As long as it works today, that's all that matters."

Abbey went back into the bathroom, a hairbrush in her hand. "What's your thing this afternoon?"

"The teachers' union invited me to their meeting and luncheon."

"Is it campaign related?"

"Yeah. If they're on the same timeline they were on two years ago, they'll be making an endorsement soon. They're trying to flesh out the candidates."

"They endorsed you last time. No reason to think they won't this time."

"What's taking you so long in there? You're just meeting Millie for lunch, right?"

"I'll be done in a minute."

"Tell me again, why can't I shower while you do your hair?"

"The humidity will cause it to frizz."

"I'll crack the door."

"Even with the door cracked, the mirror will still steam and I can't see what I'm doing." The truth was, she was trying to stall him. She needed to make sure she was out of the house before Jed jumped in the shower.

"If seeing what you're doing is the main priority, I'll remind you that's why you have that thing." Jed continued his crossword puzzle.

"What thing?"

"That thing...in the corner." His eyes rested on her cherry wood vanity. "Six letters, rhymes with insanity."

"If you're referring to my vanity, I'm not using it because the light's better in here."

"For those of us who can get in there," he muttered under his breath. "Hey, this summer, I say we renovate the bedroom. His and hers bathrooms, what do you think?"

"I think passive aggression isn't going to hurry me along."

"Is anything going to hurry you along?"

"No."

"Then I'm giving the green light on his and hers bathrooms!"

"Daddy?" Ellie strutted into the room then. "Are they gonna talk about Challenger and Christa McAuliffe at your lunch meeting today?"

"The report on the accident just came out, so probably."

"Can I go?"

Jed looked up from his crossword. "You want to?"

"Yeah. I wanna hear what they say."

"Are you sure you're up for it?" Ellie had moved on from the explosion, but he still worried about how she'd handle candid discussions about Challenger.

"I'm sure. I really want to go."

"I wanna go too, Daddy!" That was Zoey, standing in the doorway eavesdropping.

"You?" Jed was even more surprised by that. "It's such a pretty day outside. Don't you want to call up some of your friends to come over and play?"

"No, I wanna go with you."

"You wanna go 'cause Ellie wants to go."

Zoey didn't deny it. "So?"

"All right, go get ready. We're leaving here in an hour...if your mother ever lets me take my shower, that is." Jed leveled a stare at the bathroom. "Abbey, come on!"

"There's a perfectly good shower right down the hall!"

"Yeah, and Lizzie's been in it for an hour."

Abbey knew that. She was still trying to stall. It was the only way to get the head start she needed.

"Besides," he continued. "I don't like using the girls' shower. They have all those bubble baths and moisture beads and those fuzzy little balls that feel like sandpaper every time I bump into them."

"I'm out of the shower, Dad," Liz said as she breezed into her parents' bedroom. "Ellie said she and Zoey are going with you. I'm going too."

It was one thing for Ellie to want to go because of the Challenger and he could excuse Zoey's interest as wanting to shadow her big sister, but Liz wanted to go too? "Okay, what the hell's going on?"

"I don't know what you mean."

"You would rather go to some stuffy luncheon with me on a Saturday afternoon than spend the day with your friends or making goo-goo eyes at Doug?"

Liz glared at him. "I do not make goo-goo eyes."

"Please." Jed sighed. "Abbey, does she or does she not make goo-goo eyes?"

"No worse than you do," Abbey called out from the bathroom.

Jed furrowed his brows. "What? I don't make goo-goo eyes at you."

"You did."

"When?"

"When we were courting."

"Your mother is obviously drunk," he told Liz. "Why do you want to go with me?"

"Doug is at baseball practice and my friends all went home," Liz replied.

"So you're bored."

"I'm not bored. You said I could intern at your campaign this summer, right?"

"Yeah." Jed had agreed to hire her as an unpaid intern before she left for college.

"So, this luncheon is part of your campaign. I wanna see you charm them into an endorsement."

"You do?"

"You act like you don't want me to go, Dad. Why? Is there some special campaign strategy you don't want me to know about? Is there something you don't want me to tell Mom?"

She turned that around on him pretty well, Jed thought. "That's not going to work."

Abbey shouted from the bathroom, "I want a detailed report, Lizzie!"

"Got it!"

Jed got out of bed then and stalked toward the bathroom to address Abbey. "There are rules. If you insist on monopolizing the bathroom, there will be no talking."

"Yes, Master."

He decided to ignore the tingle he felt when she called him 'master' and instead focused on Elizabeth. "All right, smartass, if you want to go, get ready. I can't be late."

"Give me five minutes!" Liz ran out of the bedroom.

"Did you hear that, Abbey?" Jed paced just outside the bathroom door. "I CAN'T be late." No response. "Abbey?" He opened the door. "ABBEY?"

"Oh, I'm sorry." She feigned remorse. "Is it okay to talk now?"

"You little minx!" Jed was grinning until he saw her outfit. He cocked his brow as he eyed her from head to toe. "You know, that dress..."

"What? You said it looked fine." She wore a creamy white sleeveless sheath which she accessorized with a pair silver and gold earrings. Her make-up looked perfect and every wave of her hair was flawlessly sculpted as if she was about to have her picture taken.

"It does. But you never answered my question."

"What question?" She brushed past him out of the bathroom.

"You're just going to lunch with Millie, right?" She looked way too good for a simple lunch date, he thought.

"Yeah." Abbey tried to avoid his gaze when she lied to him.

"Why all the fuss?"

"No fuss."

"Last time you went to lunch with Millie, you threw on a pair of jeans and a sweater." Jed followed her around the room as she gathered a few things to put in her handbag.

"Last time, we went to the Olive Garden."

"Where are you going this time?"

"What do you care? Don't you have to get ready for your luncheon?"

"Yeah."

"Well? The shower's all yours." She threw him a towel on her way out of the bedroom. "Wear your red and silver tie this afternoon. It screams winner."

He didn't believe her and for a second, he wondered if she was about to do what she did during his first election - meet with people behind his back to win him endorsements. But he rejected that thought. She knew how much that bothered him the last time. She undoubtedly remembered the big fight they'd had about it. She wouldn't hurt him by doing it again, he trusted that. He trusted her. Wherever she was going, she was sure to tell him about it later. So, he let her go without another word, watching as she sashayed down the hall and took the stairs toward the front door.

- - -

* * *

The statewide teachers' union that reached out to Jed through his campaign and invited him to their luncheon was an offshoot of the National Education Association. He assumed they were preparing to make an endorsement for the primary election and wanted to meet him and his challenger before they made a final decision. Their endorsement had played such an important role in his first congressional race that he showed up to the luncheon, ready and willing to win them over again.

It was an informal affair. Relaxed. Casual. There was a small stage at the front of the room. Tables were arranged around it and a buffet of deli sandwiches, salads, and soups was against the wall by the entrance. The girls got a table while Jed mingled with the crowd, shaking the hands of people he had met two years earlier, most of them public school teachers he admired and respected. They all greeted him generously, as though they had already made up their minds to support him.

He wondered briefly about the point of the luncheon, but before he'd formed any real thoughts or become suspicious about the day's itinerary or the newspaper photographer skulking in the corner, the head of the group took to the stage and spoke into the microphone. Everyone stood for the customary Pledge of Allegiance followed by a moment of silence for those teachers they had lost in the past year. Among them, mentioned by name, Christa McAuliffe.

The woman at the mic continued by asking everyone to take their seats. "To begin today's meeting, I'd like to acknowledge the release of the report by the Rogers Commission in regard to the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger and the death of our dear colleague, Christa McAuliffe. We'll get into that in a few minutes, but first, we have a couple of special guests with us today. Join me in welcoming local physician, Dr. Abigail Bartlet."

It wasn't often that that particular expression crossed Jed's face. Speechless amazement was the only way to describe it. He was stunned into silence. He didn't really believe Abbey when she said she was going to a casual lunch with Millie, but he never would have guessed she'd show up here either.

He sat at the edge of his seat and listened as she took the mic and began a speech that he would never forget.

"Indisputably, the saddest part of the Challenger disaster was and still is the horrific loss of life. Seven families have been permanently damaged and in a cruel twist of fate, we all witnessed the moment that changed their lives forever. The tragedy affected us all, though obviously not on the same intimate level as the relatives of the Challenger Seven. Everyone in this room will always remember where they were the moment Mission Control reported a malfunction, the moment the sky filled with smoke and an eerie silence preceded the words 'the vehicle has exploded.' It will be something we'll still reflect on years from now. Decades even, because January 28th, 1986 changed space travel as we know it.

"In the months since the explosion, a lot has happened. There's been a lot of talk in the media and in government about the space program, about why it exists, why we're teaching our children to embrace it when we can't clearly define the benefits of it. As I watch these reports, I can't help but wonder who they're referring to when they say 'we.' Because as a medical scientist, I can define the benefits. Breast cancer detection equipment, programmable pacemakers, laser angioplasty, ocular screenings - all of these medical advancements and many, many others were the direct result of space exploration.

"That's the important word. Exploration. There's solid evidence of the good things that come from the space program, but what's been difficult to communicate since that cold January day is that it's not just the destination that reaps the rewards of space. It's the journey and the inventions that accompany it.

"Children across the country were excited about Challenger. For the first time in their young lives, they were going to get to see a shuttle lift off the ground and leave the bounds of Earth. It ignited their imagination, it motivated them, it made some of them want to be astronauts, and made others interested in science. We had a nation of students who wanted to learn, who showed up to class everyday excited about what they were going to be taught. That's the way it should be.

"NASA is in the process of building an unmanned space craft called Galileo. The work on it has been temporarily suspended because of what happened with Challenger and the public relations firestorm that resulted from it. Named for a man who inspired generations of scientists and who could continue to inspire schoolchildren around the world, Galileo has been put on the back-burner, in part thanks to Washington politics.

"Politicians who heralded the Challenger as a historic launch destined to set the stage for science and technology in the 21st Century, abandoned their support when it all went wrong. Some came out against NASA, claiming that we're wasting money, plummeting our resources, and sacrificing lives for no real purpose. Others ran into a cave and hid from the television cameras. But there were also politicians who could see beyond the trauma and public outcry, the ones who were just as touched by what had happened but weren't blinded by raw emotions, who stood up to their colleagues and weren't afraid to cling tighter to their convictions to support the space program when everyone around them discredited it.

"One of those brave politicians is in this room. In the days after the accident, he expressed condolences for the victims and defended NASA, even to his own wife and children who had lost faith in space travel. He walked into schools and held townhall meetings all over New Hampshire to help schoolchildren come to grips with the tragedy without turning their backs on science. He had a vision and nothing was going to stop him from telling the world about it. As a former college professor and as a father, he liked to get kids fired up and he knew how to do it. He understood the enthusiasm that dominated school buildings before the launch and he wanted to recreate it, to snatch it back from the clutches of grief. When other public servants were scrambling around, he had the foresight to lead. He maintained we were educating the next generation of scientists. 'If we want them to go into science,' he said, 'they have to love it. If we want them to love it, we have to give them a reason. We have to fuel their imaginations and help them see what mysteries are still out there for them to solve.'

"He made them believe in space travel again. He engaged them, filled their minds with all the possibilities, with the dreams that once galvanized them; and if they wanted to regard those dreams as leftover debris from a tragic fantasy called Challenger, he didn't let them. He renewed their energy and in doing so, he persuaded them not to give up on science and exploration. For that, he's earned the respect of countless scientists and the gratitude of teachers all over this state. It's my privilege to stand up here today to honor that man and to recognize him, on behalf of the teachers' union, with the 1986 Friend of Education award. Please help me welcome to the stage my husband and our congressman, Josiah Bartlet."

It seemed like an eternity to Jed, the time it took him to finally rise to his feet. He'd been so moved by Abbey's words that he had been grounded to his chair, trying desperately to stop his eyes from tearing up. He felt her undeniable love embracing him, her pride in him lifting him up. He was honored to be given such an award, but the fact that it was Abbey presenting it to him made it even more special. No one else in his life ever believed in him the way that she did. She was his staunchest supporter, his closest ally.

He wondered if the teachers' union had called her to plan all this before they ever contacted his campaign office. She had to lie to him about her lunch date will Millie so he wouldn't pick up on what was happening, he now realized. He had no doubt the girls were in on it too. That was why they each made excuses to join him at the luncheon. They now surrounded him at the table, clapping for him like everyone else. Liz gave him a shove when he seemed to hesitate. That's what made him get up and walk to the stage, his hands extended toward Abbey.

She met him at the top step and stared into his watery baby blues before whispering, "There's a photographer from the paper here. Try not to cry, huh? Red eyes never look good."

He chuckled and then kissed her as the flash of the photographer's camera caught the shot for Sunday's Union Leader.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

Series: Snapshots of the Past

Story: The Candidate's Daughter

Chapter 3

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Previously: Jed helped Abbey talk through her problem with resident work hours; the teachers' union asked Abbey to present Jed with the 1986 Friend of Education award

Summary: Jed gets a taste of the dangerous side of public service; Ellie finds a forgotten souvenir when cleaning out her desk at school; Liz attends the Senior Breakfast

Author's Note: I had planned this storyline for Jed long before the turn of current events last week

- - -

* * *

Instead of the harsh buzzing of an alarm clock, it was the lively chirps of the birds in Rock Creek Park that woke Jed on a peaceful Wednesday morning in Washington, DC. He was at the Porter Street apartment he called home during the legislative session and he'd left the window open overnight so he could fall asleep with a cool breeze. Now awake, he grabbed his bathrobe, stuffed his feet into a pair of slippers, and padded his way toward the shower. He stopped as he passed by the phone.

Up in New Hampshire, Abbey had early morning rounds at the hospital and Elizabeth had already left the house to attend her high school's annual Senior Breakfast, leaving Mrs. Wilburforce in charge of getting Ellie and Zoey off to school. She was in the kitchen whipping up her famous Belgian waffles when the phone rang.

"Bartlet residence," she answered.

"Good morning, Mrs. Wilburforce."

"Good morning, Mr. Bartlet."

Jed hated the formality of their greetings, but Mrs. Wilburforce was old-school and this was how she preferred it. At least he had gotten her off the 'congressman,' thing, he thought. "Just wanted to say hello to my girls before school and remind Zoey to pick up her reading list for the summer."

"I'll make sure she does. Let me call them down." Mrs. Wilburforce dropped the receiver below her chin and hollered, "Girls, your father's on the phone!"

It was difficult rushing the younger Bartlet daughters along these last few days of the academic year. Snow drifts that had melted in April had saturated the ground and now that mud season was over, fresh spring wildflowers bloomed, nowhere more so than at the fields at the farm. The sheets of ice that covered the ponds had melted, the trees in the woods had reclaimed their leaves, and the brook bubbled with its highest volume of water since last summer. Ellie spent most of these school mornings in June staring out her bedroom window at the cows grazing in the pasture, their newborn calves at their side. Zoey had joined her on this particular day, her interest stirred by the neighing of the horses. It was so tempting to skip school. They could play in the orchard or take a swim in the pond or even the pool out back. They could throw a Frisbee around, go riding on their horses, mount their bikes and take off on the many trails that crisscrossed the farm, or just practice cartwheels in the field. But it wasn't going to happen. As much fun as it would be, they knew their parents wouldn't allow them to miss class, which meant that Mrs. Wilburforce wouldn't either.

Grabbing their backpacks, they headed downstairs.

Zoey was the first to reach the kitchen. She ran for the phone the way she always did when Jed called. "Hi, Daddy!"

"Hey, sweetheart. How's it going?"

"Do I have to go to school today?"

"Don't you want to go?"

"No, I wanna go riding with Ellie!"

Jed chuckled. "Sorry, kitten. You have to go to school. You can go riding this weekend."

"Please?"

"Nope. You're not going to convince me so don't even try."

"How do you know you won't change your mind if I ask again?"

"Because Mommy will kill me if I change my mind. Sorry, the answer's gonna be no. But, I'll make you a deal. If you go to school today without whining about it, this weekend, I'll not only take you riding, I'll go swimming with you. I'll even dunk you a few times."

"I'll dunk you first!"

"Oh please!" Jed teased. "You dunk like a girl!"

"I DO NOT! I'm gonna dunk you good!"

"We'll see about that. Go to school and you can show me what you got on Saturday, okay?"

"Okay," she answered, a little less disappointed than she was a minute ago.

"Remember to pick up your reading list from Mrs. Olson today."

"You're gonna make me read all summer?" Zoey hated to read.

"Don't sound so unhappy about it. It's gonna be great! We're going to get you your very own library card. Won't that be neat?" Jed tried to sound as positive as he could, hoping his enthusiasm would rub off on Zoey. But it didn't.

Zoey was extremely bright, creative, and expressive. She was in kindergarten with the vocabulary of a third grader. She could talk a mile a minute about nearly any subject and she was a quick learner when it came to language and verbal skills. But when it had to do with visual skills, things were much harder for her. It took her longer than other kids to process what she saw. That's why reading assignments were miserable for her. The educational psychologist who evaluated Zoey and diagnosed her with a nonverbal learning disability told the Bartlets that another problem she had was comprehension. Her creativity was so advanced that even though she was reading slower, her brain was on double-speed. She couldn't wait to finish a paragraph the way the author had written it. Her mind raced with its own possibilities and she was having trouble focusing on the words rather than her own imagination. When she did focus, she zeroed in on inconsequential details, giving them more importance than the author intended.

She was at an important age now, Jed realized. He and Abbey had been working with her on reading for nearly two years, but she was now at the age where he could finally get through to her, where he could try to fix it. He wouldn't allow Zoey to give up on reading, not when he knew what joy it brought Ellie and Elizabeth. He made himself a promise that whatever it took, by the end of the summer, he'd turn Zoey around and transform her into as prolific a reader as her sisters.

- - -

* * *

"'The Girl Most Likely To Succeed' is...Liz Bartlet"

It was at the Manchester High Senior Breakfast that superlatives were traditionally announced. The breakfast for the Class of '86 was held at a banquet hall on the west side of town. It was an informal gathering, a chance to give students one last celebration before graduation day. Three dozen round tables dotted the room, each with a platter of breakfast entrées and a centerpiece of blue and white balloons over a sprinkling of metallic confetti on the white linen tablecloth. Over in the corner, yearbooks were stacked and ready to be distributed.

Elizabeth sat with her friends, who had all exchanged a conspiratory glance before her name was called. They already knew she'd won it. When the whole class voted for the various awards weeks earlier, it was the 'Most Likely To Succeed' award that held no suspense. Liz was a lock to the other seniors. She was graduating as valedictorian. She had the intellect, the work ethic, and the drive to do amazing things, and it didn't hurt that her last name was Bartlet. With her own qualities and the added bonus of a supportive family and parents who were already so accomplished, her potential achievements were boundless. Everyone around her recognized that. But if Liz did, she didn't show it. She sipped her orange juice as the class president called her name.

"Liz Bartlet," he said.

Her friends were the first to applaud her. They clapped as they nudged her up to the podium to accept her award. Touched by their support and the notion that they all thought so highly of her, Liz struggled to hold her emotions in-check as she held up her ribbon, thanked the whole class, and returned to her seat.

- - -

* * *

Jed took a brisk stroll to his congressional suite that morning. A jaunt, he called it. He didn't always take to the traffic-jammed streets of DC on foot, but it was such a beautiful day that he couldn't stand to drive or board a crowded metro train. He also considered that walking provided him with a good strategy to convince Abbey he was getting some exercise and lowering those pesky cholesterol levels she had been nagging him about. He'd exaggerate the journey a bit later and tell her that he jogged to work. He'd also remember to leave out the part about the chocolate-glazed donut he bought from a vendor on the street to go with his large creamed coffee along the way. A little white lie, that's what it was. He told them sometimes, but the fact that he knew she did as well kept him from feeling any guilt.

As he took off out of the elevator on the fourth floor of Rayburn House Office Building and swaggered past the Capitol Police, he slowed his stride. They were there - officers in full gear, in his office questioning his staff. His bright and sunny expression faded when he arrived.

"Is there a problem?" he asked.

Chief of Staff, Michael, stepped forward. "The police are here to investigate a threat we reported."

"What kind of threat?"

"Death threat. Through the mail." One of the officers held up the suspected letter.

"A death threat? You're kidding me."

"It's not that unusual, sir," the other officer said. "Many people in this building get a few death threats a year. Most of the time it's just some wiseguy who's bored and angry and wants to take it out on someone."

"Have any of these threats ever materialized?" Jed wasn't as much concerned with himself as he was with his staffers, who always arrived at work before him and left work after him.

"It's rare that the people who make them are serious. They're usually just upset about government or some bill going through congress and they're trying to rattle your chain."

If Jed felt any relief at all, it didn't last long. He suddenly thought of his family. The letter had arrived at his congressional office, but whoever wrote it was probably a New Hampshire resident, someone who possibly knew enough about him to know his home address. He wondered then just how safe Abbey and the girls were at the farmhouse all alone.

- - -

* * *

The kids in Ellie's sixth grade class spent the afternoon helping their teacher clean out the room. The next day would be the last day of school and they would all attend the annual school-wide picnic and pizza party on the front lawn, but before all that, school supplies had to be counted, the chalkboard and erasers had to be cleaned, the walls had to be stripped, and the desks had to be emptied.

Ellie propped her backpack on her chair and dropped an old plastic ruler into it. Pens and pencils that cluttered the inside of her desk were collected, along with a protractor, stencils, markers, and a pocket stapler, all dumped into her bag. Papers and worksheets were crumpled up and tossed in the trash. After everything was taken out, she looked down to see a postcard photo of Christa McAuliffe taped to the bottom. She had brought it home from space camp the previous summer and after showing it off to her friends on the first day of school, she taped it to the metal frame of her desk so it wouldn't get shuffled between papers and accidentally thrown away. Carefully, she peeled back the tape and held the photo in her hand.

"You should get rid of that," her friend Wendy said as she looked over from the pile of stuff in her own desk.

"Why would I do that?" Ellie asked.

"Cause what's the point? It's just gonna make you remember."

"Maybe. But I wanna keep it. Forever." She opened the front zipper of her backpack and slipped the photo into her pencil case so it wouldn't get wrinkled.

"I don't get it."

"It might make me remember, but it doesn't make me sad anymore."

It had been quite a school year for Ellie. It started with such promise. She was charged and excited after returning from space camp and looking forward to watching the launch of the shuttle on television. That was supposed to be the highlight for her. Then, she confronted a dilemma. She remembered the day that Jed and Abbey came home from a parent-teacher conference and asked if she wanted to skip a grade and start the January semester in junior high. She had said no, begging her parents not to make her change schools in the middle of the year. Later, she'd reflect on it as the best decision she could have made because shortly after Christmas break, Challenger exploded right before her eyes and the eyes of all her classmates. As difficult as it was, she couldn't imagine how much harder it would have been if she had witnessed it in a new school without any friends around her.

She looked around the classroom at her peers, people she had known since the second grade when the Bartlets moved to the farm in Manchester. She'd say goodbye to elementary school tomorrow and probably lose touch with half of them as they all began school at different junior highs in September, but she'd always remember them as the friends with whom she shared the most traumatic moment in her young life.

- - -

* * *

Things were unfolding by the second at the Rayburn House Office Building. Anxiety about the letter gave way to a burst of confidence in Jed. He buried the nervousness that might have distracted him and took charge. Between fielding calls from other members who were curious about what was going on, alerting both of his offices in Manchester, and demanding that no one leak the news to the press, he questioned Capitol Police about what to expect.

"We're going to have security monitoring your office, both here and in your district," they told him.

"What about my campaign office? Are my staffers going to be safe there?" Jed had a full staff of operatives on his campaign, most from out of state.

"Yes, we'll see to it that they are," one of the officers replied positively. "We've contacted the local police in Manchester. They know what's going on. The FBI is also involved. They'll be taking over the investigation from this point on. We've also looked over your schedule. We think it would be a good idea if you had a uniformed officer accompany you on campaign events, specifically your scheduled tour of the Seabrook power plant."

"You think that's what this is about?"

"We don't know yet, but it's a good possibility. There have been a number of threats linked to nuclear power opponents since the '70s."

"You understand I haven't come out in favor of Seabrook?"

"You haven't come out against it either," Michael reminded him.

Jed acknowledged that with a nod, then looked over at the officer. "What about my house? I have a wife and three kids."

"Chances are, they won't try anything there. Chances are, they won't try anything anywhere, but that's especially true of your house. They want this to be public. They want the publicity of a threat."

"Yeah, but what if this time they mean business?"

"To be safe, we can arrange to have an officer drive by your home, keep his eye on things."

"Okay." That was as good as he was going to get, Jed thought, but it just wasn't enough. "I'm going to catch the next flight back."

Michael vetoed that idea. "You can't do that, Congressman. You have the Medicare vote first thing in the morning. It's why you came back to Washington this week. If you miss it, it'll haunt you on the campaign trail."

"And the FBI is going to want to talk to you this afternoon."

"I can't leave Abbey and the girls alone under the circumstances," Jed insisted.

Michael knew better than to challenge him when it came to his family. He addressed the officer instead. "Can he request an officer to keep watch at his house for the whole night tonight?"

"That's good," Jed agreed. "I'll pay for a private security guard if it can't be arranged through the local police. I'll fly back tomorrow right after the vote."

"I'll look into it and see what we can do," the officer promised.

"Thank you. And please, whoever does this, tell him to stay out on the perimeter of the farm. I don't want my wife to know about this until I can tell her myself, in person."

Abbey wasn't going to be rational about this, that was a given to Jed. Whether or not the words in the letter held any merit, some phantom was threatening his life and that wasn't something that Abbey would take lightly, and neither would he if the situation was reversed, he had to admit. He'd want to protect her around the clock, just as she'd probably want to do for him. He couldn't risk her finding out about it through a police officer and he didn't want to tell her over the phone. They'd have to sit down, face-to-face, and talk about the letter, the ramifications of a death threat, even if it turned out to be benign, and how the rest of his campaign might affect him, her, and even the girls.

- - -

* * *

Having passed her final exams with flying colors, Elizabeth had cleaned out her locker and was carrying a small box of high school momentos. It was filled with photographs of her and her friends that she had taped to the inside of her locker door, a sticker of a giant megaphone with the word 'CHEER' on it, a Class of '86 teddy bear - wearing a cap, gown, and tassel - that Doug had bought her, a gold medallion from her last track meet that she hung on her coat rack, and binders, big, sturdy colorful binders full of papers she had written and exams she had taken. In the side pockets of those binders, there were notes that she and her girlfriends occasionally passed during classes. She retrieved a few and glanced at them, then put them back for safekeeping until she got home. She'd add them to all the other notes she'd collected since ninth grade in a couple of shoeboxes in her closet.

The tables in the quad were usually crowded during lunchtime, but school was out now and the seniors were waiting for graduation rehearsal to begin. Liz set her box on one of the deserted tables and pulled out her yearbook. She and her friends had been too busy signing them during the senior breakfast to actually browse through them, so this was her first chance to see what the yearbook staff had come up with to best capture the academic year. She flipped quickly past all the club pictures, knowing she'd come back to them later. She scanned the faces in the class pictures, then went immediately toward the back to the senior ads, where family and friends made tributes to their favorite graduates.

She knew her family had something planned. She'd heard Ellie and Zoey whispering about it one morning, but she kept quiet so she wouldn't ruin the surprise. She assumed they took out half a page, maybe even a full one, but she never expected five pages to be dedicated to her. The first page was from her Aunt Kate and her family, the second from her Uncle Jack and his family, and the third was from her Barrington grandparents.

The fourth page was divided. The bottom half was from Doug, who included a picture of the two of them all dressed up on New Year's Eve. Below it, he wrote a congratulatory note addressed to the 'Class of 1986's Brightest Star.' The top half of the page was from Ellie and Zoey. They had saved their allowance for months so they could buy the ad with their own money and when they were just a few dollars short, Jed offered to pitch in. They insisted it be a loan instead of a gift and he proudly agreed. Liz smiled when she saw it. There was a picture of the three Bartlet girls on a ferry on the Nile on the way to the Valley of the Kings during their trip to Egypt in February. Below it, they wrote a special message about how much they looked up to their big sister, Lizzie.

Liz was touched by all four pages, but it was the fifth page that took her breath away. It was a full-page ad from her parents and when her eyes scanned it, she gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. Pictures trimmed the entire page, across the top and bottom and up and down the sides. It started with a photo of infant Lizzie being held by Abbey just hours after she was born at a London hospital. Next was a picture of one-year-old Lizzie taking her first steps toward her mother's waiting arms; and then a picture of four-year-old Lizzie pointing to the crooked letters in the 'I love you, Daddy' banner on a homemade Father's Day card Abbey had helped her decorate. There was five-year-old Lizzie opening a pair of ballet slippers on Christmas morning; six-year-old Lizzie in pigtails, a dance leotard, and leg warmers at the neighborhood park around the corner from the Bartlets' Boston brownstone, attempting a cartwheel on a balance beam with Jed spotting her, prepared to catch her if she fell; and a picture of eight-year-old Lizzie in her white lacy dress on the day of her First Communion in Hanover. After that, it was nine-year-old Lizzie in her Girl Scout uniform being awarded the 'Citizenship and Government' badge after she helped Jed canvass the neighborhood and meet voters during his first run for the New Hampshire State Legislature; and then, as if walking in her father's footsteps, 11-year-old Lizzie, giving a speech at a school assembly when she ran for sixth grade class president, a homemade campaign poster behind her. Thirteen-year-old Lizzie shooting a basket at her first basketball game bordered the bottom of the page and next to it was 14-year-old Lizzie in a white summer dress standing outside the Church of the Sacred Heart in Manchester on the day of her Confirmation. A photo of 15-year-old Lizzie - poms poms in-hand - cheering at a football game followed, and beside it, there was 16-year-old Lizzie beaming with glee and holding up her brand new driver's license, 17-year-old Lizzie being crowned senior class Homecoming Queen in September, and finally, Liz standing between her parents on her 18th birthday in March, looking mature and confident as she crossed the path into adulthood.

In the center of the page was her official senior portrait. Above it, in script lettering, it read, 'Our Darling Elizabeth...' Below, a heartfelt message expressed Jed and Abbey's immense joy at the child she was and their overwhelming pride at the woman she had become. Liz ran her finger over the closing: 'All Our Love, Mom and Dad.'

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

Series: Snapshots of the Past

Story: The Candidate's Daughter

Chapter 4

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Previously: Liz was voted the 'Girl Most Likely To Succeed' by her classmates; Jed got a death threat at his Washington congressional office

Summary: Liz graduates high school first in her class and presents her valedictory address; Abbey is concerned about Jed's death threat; an argument between Jed and Liz gets out of hand

Author's Note: 'Manchester High School' is a fictional school we made up a long time ago for simplicity and for things like assigning them a fictional valedictorian. But in real life, all four Manchester area high schools held their graduation ceremonies at Gill Stadium in the mid 1980s, so that's where MHS's will be as well. Thanks to Tarryn and her unscratched DVD of 'Twenty Five' for helping out with the first scene!

- - -

* * *

Graduation Day

"This one's called the rook. It can't jump over the other pieces, but it can move to empty squares in front of it, behind it, or to the side."

It began as a breezy day, cool enough for long-sleeves, yet warm enough to go without a jacket. Jed wore a blue shirt and a pair of cream colored chinos as he and Zoey sat on the porch and played their very first game of chess. In a two-toned purple dress with a white collared shirt underneath, white tights, and a brand new pair of Mary Janes Abbey had bought her to wear to Liz's graduation ceremony, the eager six-year-old licked a chocolate ice cream cone while she listened attentively to her father.

"Can I move it like this?" she asked, taking the rook from him and demonstrating an illegal diagonal move.

"You can only move it the way I showed you."

"Ice cream before lunch?" Abbey's voice boomed from the doorway as she crossed the threshold to join her husband and youngest daughter outside. Propped up on her shoulder, she held a video camera to tape the scene.

"I promised her an ice cream cone at breakfast," he explained.

"We had breakfast together. Where was I when you were conspiring to rot her teeth?"

"The girls and I don't conspire in words anymore. I wink at them and they know exactly what it means. It's like our own personal Morse code. One wink means ice cream, two winks is brownies, three winks is..."

Abbey moved in front of them, the camera recording and poised to get them both in the shot. "I'm trying to raise decent human beings here and you're turning them into junk food bandits."

"Junk Food Bandits." Jed repeated the phrase with gusto. "That's good, we should have jackets made."

She sighed. "Jed."

"Don't worry, babe, I'll give you credit for the name." Her glare didn't break in his grin. "Wave hi to grumpy Mommy, Zo."

Abbey continued to tape father and daughter as Zoey waved to the camera.

"How do I move the horsey, Daddy?" Zoey then asked, her attention back on the game.

"It's not a horsey; it's a knight. Let me show you." Jed traced his finger above the chessboard as if drawing an 'L.' "It moves just like the letter 'L.' You know what an 'L' looks like, right?"

Zoey gave a nod and a lick of her ice cream, causing a smear of chocolate across her chin.

"Oh, Zoey, be careful," Abbey warned. "Don't spill it all over your dress."

Jed was quick to dab at her dirty chin with a napkin. "There we go," he said. "Now, the knight is special because it can jump over the other pieces..."

He held up the game piece and began to explain as Abbey smiled warmly from behind the camera. She loved watching Jed play chess with one of the girls, and there wasn't a sliver of doubt in her mind that they appreciated it too. It was a shame that he was too busy teaching to notice the way Zoey's eyes lit up at his instruction, she thought to herself. Even through the small viewfinder, she could see the adoration on her youngest daughter's face. Hero worship, that's what it was. When Jed played back the tape, she hoped that he'd see it too.

The camera caught someone else then. It was Elizabeth, decked out in her royal blue cap and gown. A blue and white tassel hung off her cap with a golden '86' charm dangling among the threads. It was turned to the right, as it was supposed to be before receiving a diploma.

She skipped out onto the porch and twirled around. "TA-DA!"

"Look at you!" Jed beamed.

"I missed it. Do it again," Abbey told her.

"Mom." Liz looked right into the lens. "The red light is on."

"Okay, so I didn't miss it. But I still want you to do it again."

"I'm gonna be late."

"They won't start without you."

With a grunt for good measure, the stressed teenager backed up and made her entrance again so that Abbey could frame and record the shot more properly. "Better?"

"Much."

"I've gotta go. When are you guys leaving?"

"As soon as your grandparents get here." Abbey turned the camera on her husband. "And your father changes his clothes."

"What's wrong with what I have on?"

"You mean aside from the ice cream stain on the sleeve?"

"I bet there'll be other people there with stains on their shirts."

"Maybe, but they won't be you."

"We'll scream for you, Lizzie!" Zoey promised.

"Thanks, Zo, but not too loud, okay?"

"Psssh," Jed scoffed as Abbey got a wide shot of the trio. "You only graduate high school once, angelface. We're going to make sure everyone knows about it."

"Dad, please."

"I've been waiting for this day for a very long time."

"You're going to do something to embarrass me."

"Now why would you think that?"

"Hmm," Abbey interjected with a close-up on Liz. "Could she have overheard you telling me that you're planning to stand up in the middle of her speech to shout 'that's my girl'?"

Liz was mortified at the thought. "DAD!"

Jed turned his eye to a snickering Abbey. "Evil, Abigail, teasing our little girl on such an important day. And getting it on tape too!" He wiggled his brows and with a wicked grin, "I like your style."

Liz shook her head as she headed to her car. "I'm always outnumbered in this family."

- - -

* * *

When Lizzie was twelve years old and the Bartlets moved to Manchester, Jed took her to Gill Stadium for a baseball game. It was just an amateur game, but Jed's enthusiastic commentary made it as exciting as all those trips to Fenway to watch the Red Sox when they lived in Boston. They snacked on hot dogs and nachos that afternoon, and although the stands weren't nearly as big or as packed as they were at Fenway and the crowd wasn't nearly as rowdy, Jed still enjoyed himself just as much, which meant that Lizzie did as well. He could still remember how cute she was, trying to look all grown up in that red and white jersey she always wore, her face shaded by a baseball cap. A true sports fan, just like her father.

Now, Jed sat in the stands of that same minor league ballpark with Ellie, Zoey, Abbey, and her parents, waiting for Lizzie to walk out onto the field with the rest of her class. Gill Stadium hosted outdoor graduation ceremonies for all the high schools in Manchester's school district. On rainy days, the festivities were moved indoors to the JFK Coliseum, but the rolling clouds today weren't enough for a change in venue.

Jed had managed to get his hands on so many tickets for the special occasion that they needed a large cluster of seats for all the family, friends, and even campaign staff he had invited to cheer on his eldest daughter. He searched the bleachers for people he knew until Ellie signaled the one person he didn't want to see.

"Hey, look, there's Doug!" she said, waving to him.

"Quick, duck!" was Jed's response.

Abbey smacked his arm. "Be nice."

"Fine, but I don't want to sit next to him."

"What's going on here?" James asked. He and Mary had only met Doug once.

"It's nothing, Dad," Abbey began. "Jed isn't a fan of Doug's."

James addressed Jed. "You haven't gotten over that yet?"

"Leave him alone, James. It's not like you're an expert at approving of your teenage daughter's steady boyfriend," Mary smirked, thinking about the occasional friction between James and teenage Abbey.

"Trust me, when you get to know him, you'll understand." Jed was adamant about that.

"Jed, even you barely know him." Abbey tried to be fair about it.

"I know enough. You may be good at a lot of things, hon, but I'm a good judge of people. I don't like him."

"What if we like him?" James razzed his son-in-law.

"I'll consider it a personal betrayal," Jed razzed back.

As Doug climbed the steps and made his way toward them, Mary stood to greet him. "Hi, Doug. It's nice to see you again."

Off to the side, Jed nudged Abbey and whispered, "If he acts like a jackass to your parents, can I beat him up?" She laughed. "I'm only half-kidding, you know."

Doug gestured to them on his way to an empty seat beside Abbey. "Mr. and Mrs. Bartlet."

Jed put on a congenial face out of respect for Liz. "Good to see you, Doug."

"We're glad you could make it," Abbey added.

One by one, more guests filled the stands and among the crowd, Jed spotted his brother, Jack mounting the stairs along with his wife, Kellie, and son, Brad. James scooted over to make room for Jack to sit between him and Jed while Kellie maneuvered around toward Abbey and Doug. Millie and her husband, Richard, showed up next. Millie's 14-year-old daughter, Chloe, promptly sought out Ellie and six-year-old Tommy followed. Abbey's sister and brother-in-law, Kate and Bob joined the group shortly after that and their teen sons, Bobby and Max joined the other kids, who by now had staked their claim on an entire row above their parents.

The band assembled on the field to the left of the platform that served as the stage and soon, the graduation march from Pomp and Circumstance began streaming through the speakers. Seniors emerged to a chorus of thunderous applause and screams from proud parents, friends, and relatives who hollered the name of their graduate and shouted messages of love from the stands.

In the Bartlet section of the stadium, a fair share of the hoots and hollers came from the adults, but it was the kids who yelled without restraint. Led by Ellie, their voices exploded across the field to Elizabeth.

"GO LIZZIE! WE LOVE YOU!"

The boys were in white caps and gowns while the girls were in blue, all the tassels hanging to the right. They walked in four lines that cut through the grass to the chairs that had been set up for them. Graduating first in her class, Liz was given a valedictorian medallion. It hung around her neck from a thick golden ribbon as she led her line and bypassed the chairs for the stage, where she would be sitting with the principal and other dignitaries.

When everyone was seated, the ceremony began with an official welcome and then, an introduction to the Valedictory Address.

"The mission of Manchester High School," the principal started as Liz stood beside him. "has always been to inspire students to reach the educational and social goals necessary to become successful, well-rounded individuals who strive to contribute their knowledge and skills for the betterment of society. The young lady standing next to me embodies all the qualities we stress here at MHS and many more. Her name is Elizabeth Bartlet and she graduates today with a 4.0, the highest grade point average in her class. Described by her teachers as a go-getter with an exemplary work ethic, a student with a passionate and eager attitude toward learning and tutoring others, and a leader with a talent for taking charge, whether it's as president of the National Honor Society or captain of the cheerleading squad, she challenges herself each and every day. She is the epitome of what Manchester High is all about, and as she leaves us today and starts her journey at Wellesley College in the fall with a major in Public Policy and an ambition to someday attend law school, we have no doubt that she will continue to make us proud. Ladies and Gentleman, the Class of 1986's Valedictorian, Elizabeth Ann Bartlet."

Another round of applause rang out as Liz took the microphone to present the valedictory speech. Her hands were shaking and she wasn't quite sure why. Talking in front of crowds never made Liz nervous, but there was something about standing in front of her classmates and looking out at all the faces before her that provoked a dose of anxiety. These were her friends, her confidantes, girls she had over for sleepovers and boys she used to wrestle with for fun on the mats in the gym. There were some friends she'd lost touch with, some guys she had dated, a couple she had kissed. They were all sitting out there and waiting to hear her inspirational speech in these last moments together before they all went their separate ways to begin the next part of their lives.

An awkward silence passed until Zoey pierced the stillness of the afternoon by screaming from her seat, "WE LOVE YOU, LIZZIE!"

The crowd erupted into laughter and somehow, that eased Liz's nerves. Her cheeks flushed and her pulse still racing, she spoke her first words after sharing a chuckle with the spectators.

In the stands, Jed taped the whole thing as Abbey listened to their eldest daughter address her classmates in a nine-minute speech written to reflect on the last 12 years of their lives and inspire them to reach for the stars for the next 12, and all the years beyond that. Jed had helped her shape the words into a dynamic oratory, but the sentiments were all Elizabeth's, and when husband and wife watched her deliver it with style and grace, they couldn't help but show their pride. Tears pooled in Abbey's eyes and Jed swore he felt his heart swell.

Liz's name was the first one called to walk across the stage that day. She shook the principal's hand and held up her diploma as she made her way down the ramp and then, posing for her official graduation portrait, she turned her tassel from the right to the left and flashed a smile for the photographer.

- - -

* * *

Jed and Abbey led a trail of cars back to the farmhouse after the ceremony for a graduation party. When they had started planning this day, they'd debated taking everyone out to a fancy restaurant or renting out that old clubhouse on the Merrimack River, but in the end, they agreed the farm was the best place to celebrate with friends and family, a decision that proved to be a good one when Liz handed out scores of last-minute invitations to the guys and girls in her class that she knew best.

Jed had rented circular tables that he spread out in the backyard. Abbey had picked up a cheese platter to go with the deli sandwiches and subs and another platter of condiments for the mini-burgers that Jed insisted on having. One table was designated for the cake and on the tables around it, presents were stacked. A long blue and white vinyl banner read: 'Congratulations Class of '86' with the names of Liz and her friends who also graduated beautifully scripted across it.

As the afternoon sun started its descent, over 100 people mingled under the towering maples, oaks, and pines of the Bartlet property. Jed must have talked to every one of them as he worked the backyard. He was standing with Jack when he caught Abbey in the corner of his eye. She was talking to Kellie, who helped her re-arranged the cheese platter, and suddenly, Jed's mind shifted from anything related to Liz to a topic much more serious.

"Say, listen, does Kellie know about the letter I got at the office on Wednesday?" He asked his brother, lowering his voice before getting specific. "The death threat?"

"Yeah, I told her this morning."

He kept his eyes glued to his wife. "Get her away from Abbey."

"You haven't told her?"

"I'm going to."

"When?"

"Soon. But if she hears it from Kellie before she hears it from me, everyone here is going to get quite a show."

"And that's a reason not to tell her?" Jack teased.

"You laugh now, but trust me, there's nothing funny about my wife when she's angry."

"Why haven't you told her?"

"I almost did about 10 times. But then, I'd stop myself because I wouldn't know what to say after 'Abbey, I got a death threat.' I didn't know what comes next."

"Do you have to know what comes next?"

"I have to do it right," Jed insisted. "I have to ease her fears or she'll ask me to drop out of the race."

"She wouldn't do that."

"You don't know Abbey. When it comes to her family, she's a lioness. If she thinks someone is serious about killing me, yeah, I think she might ask me to drop out."

"Would you do it?"

"No. And I don't even want to go down that road. That's why I have to make her understand right from the start. I can't let her feel threatened by it."

"So, when are you going to break the news?"

"I thought about doing it after I returned from Seabrook. When she sees that I went and nothing happened, I can prove to her that it's nothing but a bunch of words." He paused for a moment. "But I feel guilty."

"Why?"

"Because she deserves to know and every minute I put off telling her, I'm that much bigger a jerk."

- - -

* * *

"Zoey's finally asleep!" Jed announced as he joined Abbey in the kitchen later that evening. She was rinsing off some plates and stacking them in the dishwasher.

"Good. How's Ellie?"

"She's reading. I told her you'd be up to say goodnight."

"As soon as I finish this."

"I'll do that for you." He reached for the plate she was holding.

"It's okay, I got it." She smiled at him.

"When's Lizzie going to be home?"

Liz and Doug had left to do a little celebrating on their own after the party.

"She promised not too late. We have to leave for the airport at 6 a.m. on Sunday so she has to do all her packing tomorrow."

"I'm still not completely onboard with this trip to Mexico, you know," Jed grumbled.

"It's a class trip, Jed. There are going to be chaperones there. She'll be fine."

"No 18-year-old should be off in a foreign country without her parents."

"At what age should someone be off in a foreign country without her parents?"

"When it comes to our daughter, 92."

Abbey chortled at that. "You have to trust her at some point."

"I know," Jed admitted. "And I do trust her. Doug on the other hand..."

"No talking about Doug tonight. Your blood pressure's going to skyrocket."

It was just as well, he thought. He had yet to broach the subject of the threat. "Okay then..."

"I told Kate we'd have a couple's game night, maybe after the Fourth of July barbecue. What do you think?"

"Sounds good."

"It's been a while since we've all gotten together. It could be fun to try that new..."

"I got a death threat, Abbey." Not exactly the way he imagined it, but at least he got it out.

"What?" To say that Abbey was shocked was an understatement. A look of disbelief crossed her face and she dropped the plate in the sink.

"It's not as bad as it sounds." He picked up the plate and set it on the counter. "It's just some yahoo flexing his muscles through the mail."

"You got a letter from someone threatening...to kill you? I don't understand. Why would anyone want to kill you?"

"The FBI thinks it might be connected to Seabrook." She didn't say anything. "No one wants to harm me, Abbey. They're just words."

"Don't tell me they're just words. You were threatened, Jed! Someone said they would take your life!"

"It happens."

"Not to us, it doesn't! Why are you being so casual about this?"

"They investigate these things several times a year on Capitol Hill."

"Oh well, that makes all the difference in the world. As long as it's not a one-time thing." Her sarcasm helped her absorb the information. "What now? What do we do?"

"I want to play it out."

"This isn't a video game, Jed. This is serious."

"It's not."

"How do you know that?"

He closed the space between them and looked her in the eye. He could never lie to her like this. "If I thought I was in danger, I would tell you. I swear it."

She returned his stare, but panic dominated hers. Not a hysterical kind of panic. A calm kind. The kind that bubbles up from fear of the unknown. "I don't know what to think. How am I supposed to be comfortable with you putting yourself out there when I know someone's targeting you?"

"Sweetheart, it's going to be fine."

"Could you deal with me doing what you're doing if someone was after me?" His eyes shifted down and she had her answer. "That's what I thought."

"I'm going to have protection. There will be a uniformed officer with me during public appearances. I also asked for one to watch over the house when I was in Washington."

"Watch over the house? You think someone could come here? Are the girls in danger?"

"No, no. The cops think we're perfectly fine here. If they didn't, I'd have made arrangements to have you and the girls sent away somewhere. It was just an extra precaution to make sure you guys were safe until I could come home."

"Wait, someone was watching the house when you were in Washington? You've been home since yesterday morning. How long has this been going on?"

He hesitated slightly. "I found out on Wednesday. I wanted to tell you in person."

"So why didn't you before now?"

"You were at work yesterday, I went to the office, the kids were around us all night."

"You could have found a moment alone with me if you'd wanted to."

He should have known Abbey would call him out on that.

"A moment wouldn't have been enough for this conversation."

"I'm saying, I would stayed up to discuss it if you had told me and you know that, so stop making excuses!"

"All right, you want the truth? I didn't tell you because I didn't know what to say. I knew you were going to fear the worst and I wasn't prepared for it."

"Are you now?"

"No, but I didn't want to leave you in the dark anymore."

Her expression softened when he conceded that point.

They heard the front door open and close and Liz throw out a quick 'hi' and 'bye' before she raced upstairs, but Jed and Abbey didn't move from their spot in the kitchen until they heard a thump too loud to ignore. Without needing to say it, they postponed their conversation then and rushed out to the foyer.

"Liz?" Abbey called for her.

"I'm fine. My heel got caught and I tripped." Liz was standing halfway up the stairs, teetering on the edge of one of the steps.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah. It's been a long day. I'm going to bed." She spun around and nearly fell again.

"Elizabeth." Abbey started up the stairs when she saw her daughter struggling with her balance. "Have you been drinking?"

Liz didn't answer. She faced her parents again, but just as quickly as she turned around, she bowed her head. Her silence was confirmation enough.

"Who drove you home?" Abbey went on.

"Doug's roommate. He didn't have anything to drink."

"But you did." It wasn't a question this time. "What were you thinking?"

"It's not a big deal."

"You know the legal drinking age in this country is 21, right?" Jed didn't wait for a response. "Of course you do. Everyone does."

"The age just went up to 21 last year," Liz returned.

"And my name was on the federal bill that made it happen, but that's not an excuse. Before that, the drinking age was 20 in New Hampshire. Eighteen year-olds haven't been allowed to drink legally in this state since 1979."

"Let me guess, your name was on that bill too."

"Don't get smart with me!"

"I'm sorry, but you're acting like I committed the crime of the century when all I did was have a couple of beers with my boyfriend! We were celebrating graduation."

"You wanted to celebrate? We GAVE you a party right here at the farm!"

The yelling got Ellie's attention. She appeared on the top landing. "What's going on?"

"Go to bed, Ellie," Abbey told her, calmly. "I'll be up to say good night in a minute."

Elizabeth's eyes darted back and forth between her mother and father. They were both upset and she wasn't going to convince them not to be. Not like this. She took a breath, then turned to go to her room.

"I'm this close to pulling the plug on Mexico," Jed informed her. He was already nervous about letting her go. Coming home the way she did only confirmed his feelings.

Liz whirled back around, still unsteady. "You can't do that!"

"If we can't expect you to use good judgment here, what are you going to do in Cancun, where the drinking age actually is 18 and you've got all your friends around and no parents?"

Abbey didn't intervene. Jed didn't know if it was because she agreed with him or because she didn't want to undercut him in front of Liz.

"I can't believe you're this mad just because I had a few of drinks. Don't you think you're overreacting?"

"No, as a matter of fact, I don't." Getting more annoyed by the second, Jed barked, "Go to your room."

"You can't send me to my room. I'm an adult, Dad. You can't tell me what to do anymore."

"As long as you're living with us, I can."

"Then maybe I'll go live with Doug," Liz shot back impulsively. It was one of those arguments that snowballed quickly out of control and before she knew it, she had blurted out something she didn't really mean.

"Stop right there!" Abbey needed to calm things down. She used a softer, more forgiving approach. "Elizabeth, you know how we feel about drinking and you know how we feel about Doug. Bringing him up in the middle of this isn't going to help matters."

Too late. Jed was angry. "He's already in the middle of it. He's the one who gave her the beer."

"It was MY idea! He didn't make me drink it," Liz said firmly.

"No, he just encouraged you to," Jed replied as if he knew it for a fact. "Let me tell you something, you're not going to manipulate me into letting you do whatever the hell you want by threatening to move out."

"Fine, I take it back. I just don't want to be treated like a child."

"There are rules. If you want to live here, you have to follow them. If you decide that you don't want to or that you'd rather live with Doug instead, don't expect me to beg you to stay."

And with that, he stormed out of the room.

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

Series: Snapshots of the Past

Story: The Candidate's Daughter

Chapter 5

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Previously: Liz graduated high school; Jed told a concerned Abbey about the death threat he'd received and that it might be connected to the Seabrook nuclear power plant; heated words were exchanged after Jed and Abbey learned that Liz had been drinking beer and when Jed got tough, Liz threatened to move in with Doug

Summary: Abbey talks to Jed about letting Liz go on the senior class trip and later, has a word with Liz herself; Jed avoids the Seabrook discussion with his campaign aide and with Abbey; Liz attempts to make peace with Jed

- - -

* * *

On their eldest daughter's 18th birthday, Jed and Abbey gave her an envelope. Inside was a check for the deposit on the senior class trip to Cancun. Elizabeth ecstatically jumped into their arms and thanked them for what she said was the best present she could have received that day. Three months later, Jed paced the floor in the kitchen of the farmhouse thinking it had been a huge mistake.

He hadn't been excited about it in the first place. He'd heard the stories of Cancun at spring break or summer vacation. He knew it was one endless party and for recent high school graduates, their first taste of freedom. No curfew. No parents. No rules. Lizzie had been working on them for months and in the end, he gave in, deciding to trust her not to get herself into trouble so far away from him and Abbey. He had doubts about that now. Liz had come home intoxicated only hours after her graduation party, and if she came home to her parents' house tipsy off beer, how drunk was she going to get in Mexico where she had no one to answer to?

He'd told her to go to her room and when she fought back, she said she would go live with Doug if they treated her like a child. He was too angry to talk to her after that. He made it clear that he wouldn't beg her to stay, that he wouldn't be manipulated, then stormed off to the kitchen to calm himself down. He overheard a few words exchanged between Abbey and Liz and then heard Liz run off to bed. The footsteps he heard next he assumed were Abbey's and he was relieved to see that he was right. She appeared in the kitchen, her gaze directed at him with a tilt of her head, a tilt that let him know she was just as mad at Liz as he was. But there was more to that look. She was about to argue something he didn't want to hear.

"When you were 15, you took your father's car on a joyride to Vermont," she said.

"What's your point?" Jed never forgot that incident, not because of what he did, but because of the punishment that followed. As if being locked in the garage wasn't enough, he also felt the sting from ten strikes of John Bartlet's belt.

"That even good kids make mistakes sometimes."

"And there are consequences for those mistakes." He wouldn't dream of treating Lizzie the way his own father treated him. It just wasn't the kind of father he was. He loved his girls with everything he had and no matter what any one of them did, he could never raise his hand to them. But ignoring Liz's drinking wasn't the answer either, he maintained.

"You know I'm all for consequences, Jed. From the time she was little, if she did something wrong, we put her in time-out or sent her to her room, grounded her, took away her phone, her TV, parties or sleepovers. I even took away her car keys when she was 16 and got that speeding ticket."

"What are you getting at?"

"We didn't do any of that out of anger," Abbey pointed out.

"That's not what I'm doing now."

"What does canceling the trip to Mexico teach her? If she was 14, it would be sending a message - you have a beer, you'll be punished. But she's not 14. She's 18 and we only have her for a few more months. That's all the time we have to get through to her and we'll be wasting it if we punish her without trying to make her understand why this is a big deal."

"It's not about punishing her. It's not even about teaching her a lesson. It's about protecting her since she's too irresponsible to protect herself."

"I don't believe that. She had a few drinks on graduation night. You told me once that your father used to let you and your brother split a beer after church on Sundays. You were a lot younger than Lizzie is now."

"I don't want to talk about my father. What he did has nothing to do with our daughter going out and getting drunk."

"Do you really think she's alone? Poll college freshmen and ask them how many had a drink on the night of their high school graduation."

"That makes it okay?"

"Of course it doesn't make it okay. It makes it a lapse in judgment, just like thousands of her peers all over the country. It makes her an average kid who made a mistake."

"Lizzie isn't average. She's too bright and accomplished to be average. And you know, I don't care what the other kids are doing. I expect her to be above all that."

"Don't put her on a pedestal, Jed. She's just human."

"I know that!" He brought down his voice just as quickly as he'd raised it. After all, Abbey wasn't the one he was mad at. "I don't expect her to be a robotic Stepford child. I just want her to use her brain. I want her to think about her actions, the way we taught her. Until she starts doing that, it's our job to protect her."

"That's fair. The problem is, you won't always be there to protect her. In less than three months, she leaves for college. She'll be on her own every single day. You can keep her home for this next week, keep her from going on the trip, ground her for the summer if you want, but what happens next fall when her college girlfriends want to go bar-hopping in Boston with fake IDs? What happens when she goes to her first post-exam party, where everyone is drunk and letting loose? What then?"

"What's your solution?"

"I don't think taking away the class trip is the answer. She's right, we'd be treating her like a child and all that's going to do is provoke rebellion, especially when she's out on her own."

"You say we let her go."

"Yes, I'd prefer to treat her like an adult. We'll sit down with her tomorrow and explain to her why we feel the way we do, why she's too young to drink. Let's see how she responds to that."

"We've already talked to her about underage drinking."

"That was before she had her first drink. Now that she's tried it, maybe what we say will sink in."

Jed considered what Abbey was proposing. She might be right, he admitted. They wouldn't always be around to keep Liz out of trouble. At some point, she'd have to make her own mistakes and in doing so, learn that there were far greater consequences than just her parents' anger. He could abandon his hard-line approach about the drinking, but there was something else that was bugging him even more.

"If you want let her go to Mexico, Abbey, fine."

"But?"

"No but."

"You still have doubts?"

"Yes. And quite honestly, I'm concerned about the situation brewing here."

"What situation?"

"You heard her in there. She threatened to move in with Doug if we didn't get off her back. I don't like being manipulated."

"You know she didn't mean it."

"How do I know that?"

"Because, honey..." Abbey looped her arm around his and walked him toward the table. "I say this with all the love in my heart - she's her father's daughter. She has your temper, Jed. She always has. She gets angry, she loses her cool, and she says something she doesn't really mean, just like you do."

He stopped and turned to her. "I don't say things I don't mean."

Abbey snickered at that and gave the most recent example, "Considering Zoey isn't still living in exile for climbing on the roof in her roller skates, I beg to differ."

Jed conceded with a nod. He remembered that day very well. It was a month ago and he was working in his campaign office when Liz called to tell him. He'd been so angry at his youngest daughter for doing something so dangerous that when they got her down safely, he sent her to her room for the rest of her life. Abbey was the one who calmed the waters that night, just as she was trying to do now.

"These girls are going to send me to an early grave."

"Don't joke about that."

He stared at her for a moment and shook his head. "I don't know how I'd raise them without you."

Abbey took his hand.

"You reined me in when I yelled at Ellie for walking to Wendy's house after school without telling us." With a squeeze of his palm, she said, "It's a team effort. We'll deal with this Liz thing just like we deal with all the other shenanigans they throw at us."

"Until we run out of steam."

"And then we'll build that dungeon you always wanted."

Jed cracked a smile as he let go of her hand to wrap his arm around her.

- - -

* * *

The next morning, Elizabeth was in such a deep slumber that she never even heard Abbey's repeated hollers for breakfast. Abbey managed to drag Ellie out of bed, but decided to let Liz sleep, knowing she'd probably wake up feeling mildly ill. By noon, Zoey couldn't wait any longer. There had been whispers exchanged between her and Ellie about the fight the night before. Both girls picked up on their father's sour mood at breakfast, so they decided not to bring it up with their parents, leaving Liz as the only one who could answer a number of intrusive questions that Zoey had racing through her head.

The nosy six-year-old skulked toward her sister's room and slowly turned the knob, gently pushing open the door so she could peek her head through the crack. She took feather-light steps in her socks across the hardwood floors and approached Liz's bed.

"Liii-zzziiieee," she called out in a quiet sing-songy voice as she dug her elbows into the mattress and stared at her sister's sleeping form. "Lizzie, wake up."

"Leave me alone, Zo," Liz grumbled. She turned over on her other side.

Zoey nudged her. "Come on, Lizzie, get up!"

"What do you want?" Liz demanded, an edge to her voice now.

"Were you really drunk?"

"No! Now leave!" She grabbed her covers and pulled them up over her head.

"You're not supposed to drink alcohol."

"Get out of my room, Zoey!"

Ellie came in then. She'd been standing right outside the door and waited to see what kind of reception Zoey got. "Don't yell at her."

Liz threw off her covers and barked, "I'll yell at whoever I want in MY room."

"You're the one who messed up. We're just here to help."

"I don't want your help. And I didn't mess up."

"Really? Because I haven't seen Dad that angry in a long time."

"If you two don't leave me alone right now, I'm gonna throw you both out the window." Liz hurled a pillow at the pre-teen.

"'Cause that won't get you in more trouble with Mom and Dad." Ellie threw the pillow back at her. "What was the point of drinking anyway? Didn't you know they'd be mad?"

"You know what, Ellie, when you're 18, come talk to me about it. In the meantime quit acting like a judgmental pain in the neck!"

Abbey, who had been on her way to the master bedroom, stopped by Liz's room when she overheard her feuding daughters. "Isn't it too early in the day to be calling your sister a pain in the neck?"

Liz focused on her mother. "I'll deal with the lectures from you and Dad, but do I have to hear it from the two of them?"

Abbey had to agree with her. Liz was already at odds with her parents. She didn't need her little sisters breathing down her neck too. "Girls, what did I tell you about coming into Lizzie's room without permission?"

"We were just checking on her," Ellie replied.

"And now that you have, it's time to leave. Go get ready to go riding." Abbey waited until the younger girls were down the hall, then closed the door behind them. "I know they were pestering you, but they really are worried. Don't snap at them because you're mad at us."

"I thought it was the other way around. Aren't you and Dad mad at me?"

"That we are," she said as she sat down on the bed.

"If you're gonna yell at me, can you do it later?"

"I'm not going to yell. I just want to talk - you and me."

"Oh God, this is the part where we pretend to be the Cleavers." Liz covered her head with the pillow.

"You know, if I came home in the shape you were in last night, I might remind myself that it's a bad idea to push my luck."

"Can't we skip the heart-to-heart and go straight to the hugs?"

"Elizabeth." Abbey sat silent until Liz tossed the pillow aside. "Thank you. How do you feel?"

"Not so hot. My head feels like it weighs a ton."

She reached over to brush Liz's hair off her face. "You're lucky you didn't have more to drink. Believe it or not, this can feel much worse. Remember that, should you be tempted again."

"I wasn't trying to get drunk, Mom. We were just celebrating. I didn't think it would be possible to have too much to drink that fast. Some people have 10 beers and nothing happens. I only had a few."

"Everyone is different, Lizzie. How you tolerate alcohol depends on your body chemistry, your age, your weight, your experience with drinking. You never had a drink before last night, right?" Liz shook her head. "Then how could you possibly know how you'd react to it?"

"I didn't analyze it. I just assumed it would be no big deal if I didn't have that many." Liz paused for a second. "And I didn't think you'd find out. I knew you'd freak if you did."

"So you're not completely oblivious to how I feel about this kind of thing. I don't know if I should shake you or beat you for doing it anyway."

"June Cleaver wouldn't do either."

Abbey gave her a stern expression. "Do you see me the least bit amused?"

"No." Liz lowered her stare.

"When I worked my ER rotation in med school, do you have any idea how many teenagers came in with alcohol poisoning?" She saw Liz roll her eyes. "And rolling your eyes is only going to make the headache worse."

"You're blowing it out of proportion. I wasn't even close to alcohol poisoning."

"And neither were they at first. The problem with drinking at your age is that you don't quite know when to quit. You keep drinking and by the time you recognize the affects, you're already drunk. Why do you think congress raised the federal drinking age last year?"

"Because Dad knew I was about to turn 18?"

Abbey sighed. "Believe it or not, he doesn't legislate based on how to ruin your fun. Anyway, even if it was status quo here in New Hampshire, 18 would still be too young to drink. The state age was 20."

"The point is whatever I do, Dad wrote some law about it and you saw it at the hospital. If I cut my toe in the grass, you'd tell me all about the toeless girl you treated and Dad would lecture on the perils of walking barefoot through the grass as outlined in his 75-page proposal to congress to outlaw it."

"I did treat a toeless girl once."

"Mom." Liz used her eyes to plead with her not to tell the story. "Didn't you ever have a drink when you were my age?"

"I did, once or twice."

"And the drinking age was 21 in the 60s. It wasn't until the 70s that it was lowered to 18, right?"

"Right."

"Then you were drinking underage too, so how can you lecture me about it?"

"Just because I did it doesn't mean it was right. It's like I said, you don't know you're drunk until you're drunk."

"And you got drunk?"

"Yes, and I didn't like it. I didn't like not being in control. Some people enjoy that feeling, but it did nothing for me."

"Do you know when to stop drinking now?"

"Yeah. When I have a drink, I know exactly how much I can have and I know how it'll make me feel. Don't underestimate how important that is. At 18, the part of your brain that regulates the amount of alcohol in your system isn't fully developed yet. At 21, it's closer, and there's also the hope that you're more responsible by then and better able to make good decisions."

"Like not drinking at all?"

"Like watching how much you drink. When you're drunk, you're vulnerable, perhaps more vulnerable than you are at any other time. It's one thing to be that vulnerable in the company of someone you trust, like me with your father. It's entirely different when you're with other people."

"I trust Doug."

"And his roommate? Do you trust him too? If you go to a party and have a few drinks, are you going to trust everyone there just because they were invited to attend?"

"Doug wouldn't let anything happen to me."

"What if he's too drunk to stop it? You're a smart kid, Liz. You're independent, you're strong. Why would you want to rely on others to protect you? Why wouldn't you want to be alert enough to be in charge of yourself?"

Finally, she struck a chord.

"I wasn't thinking of it that way," Liz said. "We were just celebrating, you know?"

"I know." Abbey offered a sympathetic nod. "But you need to learn to think ahead, to think about what could happen. That's what your dad and I want you to take from this."

"Is Dad still speaking to me?"

"He's a little angry, but he'll cool off. He has campaign events all day. He won't be home until dinner, after which, the three of us are going to go over all this again."

"You mean Dad'll go over it and I'll listen." Liz had visions of her father pacing in front of her, lecturing.

"No, I mean we'll have a conversation, just like you and I are having now," Abbey insisted. "You have to work with us here, Liz. Things are going to be really awkward these next few months unless we figure this out, and I'm not just talking about the drinking."

"Then what?"

"The bigger issue. We're realize you're an adult, but we're still your parents and what you do is our business whether or not you think so. You can't assume that just because you're 18 we're going to approve of every decision you make; and you can't threaten to move out just to get your way."

"I get that, but shouldn't there be some difference in how you treat me and how you treat Zoey and Ellie? Dad sent me to my room as if I was 10 years old again."

"You can bring that up with him tonight, but for the record, your comeback about moving in with Doug was unfair. All you did was escalate the argument and I'm not so sure that wasn't what you wanted. He made you mad so you turned around and did it to him."

"Maybe a little." Liz wasn't proud of herself for that. "It slipped out before I could stop myself. I wasn't serious about it."

"You'll straighten it out with him tonight," Abbey said. "In the meantime, you've got some packing to do."

Liz sat up. "Dad's cool with me going to Mexico?"

"Not really, but he'll go along with it."

Translation - Abbey talked him into it. Liz knew the score and she was so grateful for her mom at that moment. "Thanks for talking to him."

"Don't make me regret it."

"I won't, I promise."

Abbey rose to her feet. "I left you some breakfast on the stove if you feel like eating. I told Zoey and Ellie we'd go riding today. If you want to join us, I think they'd like that."

"Maybe later."

"Okay."

Liz watched Abbey leave, then collapsed again on her pillow and rubbed her temple as she replayed their conversation in her mind.

- - -

* * *

"The economic recovery package the President signed is good, but we can do better. The changes I just named are essential to spurring the economy and reducing the number of unemployed here in New Hampshire."

"Are you speaking as a congressman or as a candidate looking toward re-election?"

"I'm speaking as an economist...and as a resident. Yes, I'm a politician and yes, it's an election year, but first and foremost, I care about this state and I wouldn't advocate something that would hurt the people who live here just to win an election. Re-tooling the recovery bill is the smart thing to do."

Jed charmed the Channel 7 reporter who interviewed him that afternoon. It began as an informal discussion on the waterfront about federal funds being used in a redevelopment project geared at transforming the Amoskeag Millyard, and eventually led to key points he wanted to address on a host of issues. Brooke, the campaign aide who staffed him that day, took note of how comfortable he was with the press and how smoothly he transitioned from one topic to another. He might have needed assistance on political strategy, but when it came to reaching out to voters, Jed Bartlet was a pro, she thought.

Nearby, a uniformed officer lingered, his eye trained on passersby in case they had any intention of harming his charge. Jed hated the idea of a bodyguard. He didn't think he needed one. He didn't take the death threat he'd gotten seriously and argued there were dozens of better ways to spend taxpayer dollars than having someone follow him up and down the Merrimack River in broad daylight on a Saturday afternoon. But he'd promised Abbey he'd be vigilant about all this and if it put her mind at ease to have someone watching over him, he had no choice but to allow it.

After the interview, Brooke led him away from the cameras. "There were about 12 soundbytes she can pull out of that."

"Let's hope whatever she chooses will make me look good."

"All you gave her were quotes that would make you look good."

"If there's one thing I've learned over the past two years, it's that you can never tell how something comes out until it airs on the six o'clock news. Anything new on the protests at Seabrook today?"

"Nothing yet." Brooke had been following the scheduled protests. "But you know who just came out against it - publicly?"

"Who?"

"Governor Dukakis in Massachusetts."

"You're kidding! I knew he was against it, but he's been trying to keep quiet."

"Well, he just broke his silence."

"What's Governor Sununu saying?" New Hampshire's governor was in full support of Seabrook.

"Nothing yet. Soon, we're going to need an answer from you that's more than just laying out the pros and cons."

Jed couldn't stop thinking about Seabrook, but he had yet to make a firm decision on it. "I don't know where I stand. I won't know until I see the place for myself."

Brooke reluctantly accepted that. "Okay. You've got that ceremony at the VA in a half hour, so we should go."

"I'm right behind you." Jed stopped at a vending machine outside one of the buildings to buy three sodas - one for him, one for Brooke, and one for the officer trailing them to the car.

- - -

* * *

Abbey felt refreshed after her shower. She had spent the day riding the trails with Ellie and Zoey and was now preparing to cook a dinner of chicken and roasted potatoes. She set the portable radio on the table and turned the dial to her favorite station, then pulled out the ingredients she'd need. Her thoughts wandered, as they always did when she cooked alone, and she found herself thinking more and more about Jed's death threat. They hadn't talked about it again since Liz came home the night before, but they couldn't avoid it much longer, no matter how much Jed might have wanted them to.

She washed and cut up the potatoes, drizzled them with olive oil and placed them in a pan with garlic and other seasonings, bathed the chicken in a mixture of rosemary and lemon, and loaded it all into the oven. She was cleaning up the kitchen and humming along to Gloria Loring's 'Friends And Lovers' when Jed opened the front door. He followed the sound of the music and the smell of the cooking toward the kitchen and found her singing the chorus as he approached from behind.

Cause I'll be your friend  
And I'll be your lover...

He nuzzled up to her neck. "I'll be YOUR lover. You are so hot when you're swaying your hips like that. Makes me think you're as turned on as I am."

Abbey laughed. "Leave it to you to turn a perfectly innocent song into something torrid."

"I love when you say 'torrid.' Have I ever told you about my kitchen fantasy?"

"You mean it wasn't making love to me on the table?"

"No, it's much better! It involves you, an apron, those red stilettos of yours, and nothing else. Except me, of course." He felt her breathe deeply against him. "Let's lock the girls in their rooms and have some fun."

"Hold onto your pants, hot stuff. Let me finish dinner and later, we'll enjoy a romantic dessert, just the two of us." Abbey turned toward him so he could see the flirtatious look in her eye.

"Dessert, huh?"

"We're talking whipped cream and lingerie."

"My favorite combination!"

"Mm hm. But not until we talk to Liz."

Jed groaned.

"Okay, but I'm gonna hold you to that," he said as he backed away and draped his suit jacket over a chair. "Can I help with dinner?"

"It's all taken care of." She narrowed an eye and said suspiciously, "You timed your arrival perfectly."

"Guilty as charged," Jed grinned as he grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl. "How are the girls?"

"Good. I went riding with Zoey and Ellie. Zoey's a little upset that you weren't here, but I told her you'd make it up to her tomorrow."

"I will. I promised to take her swimming."

"How'd it go for you today?"

"Three media interviews in an hour and the rest was just shaking hands."

"You had an officer with you?"

"Yeah."

"Jed?" Abbey asked again, using a more serious tone this time.

"Yes, I had an officer with me the entire time. I wouldn't lie to you about that." He knew what she wanted to talk about and he was desperate to stop her. "I'm going to step out for a while."

"Now?"

"I need some fresh air to clear my head."

"Why?"

"Campaign stuff - my position on a few issues. I need to think about some things." She shook her head in that way that showed she didn't believe him. "I'm telling you the truth."

"This isn't an effort to avoid the discussion I want to have?"

"Not intentionally. I really do have a lot on my mind tonight."

She still suspected there was a little avoidance at play, but she also understood how stressful campaigning was. She'd let it go, for tonight, she decided. "Is there anything I can help you sort out?"

"No, but thanks." Jed snuck up next to her and tucked a finger under her chin to turn her head and give her a quick kiss to the lips. "I'll be back."

He hustled out of there too fast for Abbey to say another word. He felt guilty for it, but he didn't turn back. He was conflicted enough about Seabrook on the issue itself; he didn't need to be reminded of the death threat with which someone was blackmailing him. That's exactly what it was, he acknowledged as he reached the porch steps - blackmail. If he didn't speak out against it, his life was in danger. How could he give in to that? How could he oppose Seabrook, something he'd been considering doing anyway, without appearing to be a puppet who succumbed to pressure from radical activists hell bent on bullying him into their corner?

The girls' basketball was left out at the edge of drive. He picked it up and aimed it toward the net. Shooting hoops was a good stress-reliever for Jed. He enjoyed it when things were good, but he excelled at it when he was burdened with a problem. Shot after shot, he made his basket, each time a little more aggressive than the last.

Through her open bedroom window, Elizabeth heard the ball hit the backboard and fall onto the pavement. Jed dribbled hard and sunk another basket. Something was wrong, she realized, and it had to do with more than just their fight, though she was sure that was also weighing him down. She slipped her feet into a pair of flats and made her way down the stairs and out the door toward her father. She hesitated when he saw her but didn't say anything, a clear indication that he was still angry.

After hovering and watching him for a few minutes in silence, she finally drew a breath and opened the line of communication. "I didn't mean it, what I said about moving in with Doug. I was just mad."

"I know," he said.

"It won't happen again."

"What about the drinking? Is that going to happen again?"

"You and Mom made your point on that."

"Good." He dribbled the ball and shot another basket.

"Thanks for not giving me a hard time about the class trip."

"You can thank your mom for that," he said in a tone that confirmed he was still uneasy about the whole thing.

"It would make me feel better if you were okay with it."

"How can I be okay with it? You surprised the hell out of me last night, Lizzie."

"Why? I've done things you haven't liked before. I've never been perfect, Dad."

"Who wanted perfect? I just wanted a strong and confident young woman who has enough courage to stand by what she believes and not succumb to peer pressure. Maybe I shouldn't have expected more out of you than other teenagers, but I did."

Liz bit down on her lip and asked, "What if it wasn't peer pressure? What if it was something I wanted to do?"

Jed didn't believe that. Liz knew how he and Abbey felt about underage drinking and she'd led them to believe that she felt the same. "Whatever the reason, you did it. Now you're jetting off to Cancun, where everyone's going to be partying for a week, and I'm supposed to be okay with it? Tell me why I should be happy."

Liz didn't have a real response. She just knew she hated this. She hated that she had disappointed him, hated that he didn't trust her. She shrugged, gave the hint of a smile, and said the only thing that had the potential to change Jed's mood. "Doug won't be there."

To her relief, he curved his lips slightly and allowed a puff of breath that sounded like the softest chuckle she'd ever heard.

Jed also hated this. He hated being mad at her and even worse, he hated the possibility that she was mad at him. She gave him an opening to ease the tension between them and he wedged his way through it without a second thought.

"Make your shot," he told her as he tossed her the ball. Liz took a step forward until he objected. "No, no, no. From right there."

"Here?" She gestured to where she was standing, several feet away. He nodded and she accepted the challenge. She threw the ball, hitting the rim of the basket and bouncing off.

"See? Had you made it in, I would have given you my blessing on the trip."

"You would not!"

Jed dribbled the ball. "I guess we'll never know."

He made another shot, but this time, he was the one who missed. Liz grabbed it on rebound.

Inside, Abbey started upstairs to tell the girls to get ready for dinner when she heard shouting coming from the drive. She opened the door a crack to see Liz slamming the ball through the net and Jed calling foul when she turned an innocent eye. They bickered back and forth, Liz denying the infraction and Jed exaggerating it, but their argument this time was playful, not heated. They were teasing each other in that special way they had.

Abbey closed the door without being noticed and smiled on her way upstairs. Things were back to normal again.

At least for now.

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

Series: Snapshots of the Past

Story: The Candidate's Daughter

Chapter 6

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Previously: Abbey persuaded Jed to let Liz go on her senior class trip to Mexico; Jed avoided Abbey's attempt at talking about his death threat; Liz made up with her father

Summary: Abbey tries to convince Robert Nolan to let her oversee resident work hours at the hospital; Jed is cornered by Abbey; Abbey does her own research on Seabrook; Zoey gets her first library card

AN: For some reason, it won't let me put the lines between scenes, so I had to settle for just the ruler. Hope it works just as well!

* * *

Few people would crave a turkey sandwich and a side of pasta salad at seven o'clock in the morning, but in the hospital cafeteria, that's exactly what Abbey loaded onto her tray. She'd been on-call the night before and had already clocked four hours in the O.R. After finishing up overnight surgery and completing her morning rounds, she found a few minutes to grab a bite to eat before it was time to go back to work.

She pushed her tray along and pulled a small carton of milk from one of the coolers, then turned to scan the seats in the dining area. Her eyes rested on one person - Robert Nolan. He was sitting at a corner table by himself, reading the paper over breakfast. Hesitant to give herself away until she got there, Abbey approached quietly.

"Bacon, sausage, and hash browns," she said as she took a seat at his table. "Not exactly the poster child for healthy eating, are you?"

"If you were staring ahead at the kind of day I'm about to have, you'd over-indulge too," he replied.

"I wouldn't know. Most of my day's behind me."

"Finishing call?"

"Yeah. I've been here since 2 a.m. I'm taking off early." Abbey reached for her fork to start on her pasta salad. "That was something I couldn't do as a resident."

"What's that?"

"Leaving early after call to rest before going back into the O.R. the next day. Who wants an exhausted surgeon caring for them?"

Robert knew exactly what she was hinting at. He set his newspaper aside. "So we're back to that again?"

"You pulled rank, Robert."

"When?"

"The day you told me that I had to check with you before sending residents and interns home. You always trusted me to make that decision on my own."

"It's not personal, Abbey."

"I know that," she assured him. "That's why I want to know what's going on. Why aren't you with me on this?"

"Because I think you've become too involved in the situation in New York."

"The situation? A girl died."

"Her death wasn't only the result of a sleepy resident. There were other factors at play."

"So says the hospital and the attorneys mounting the defense."

"And I happen to believe them."

"Robert..."

"You weren't there, Abbey. It was a busy night. Those doctors were dealing with life and death issues every single minute of that day. You know how easy it is to make a mistake, even if you're well-rested. And who's to say there wasn't something in the girl's medical history that was left out on admission?"

He had a point, Abbey thought silently. Instead of playing a game of assumption, she settled on a different approach. "All right, forget Libby Zion for a minute. Look me in the eye and tell me that when you were a resident, there was never a time that you knew - I mean, really knew - that you weren't fit to care for patients."

"All residents have doubts from time to time."

"I'm not talking about doubts about skill or knowledge. I'm talking about falling asleep while taking an H&P, or swaying back and forth in the O.R. to the point where you're about to collapse and contaminate the field, or taking a half hour to walk down to the lab because you forgot where it was in your sleep-deprived state, or longing for an opportunity to go to the restroom for the first time in eight hours because you think that maybe you can catch just a few seconds of shuteye."

"We all go through that. We get it together and move forward. It's part of the job."

"It shouldn't be. You know it shouldn't be."

"No, I don't. I did it. You did it. We turned out to be fine doctors."

"That's not what made us fine doctors. Pushing physicians beyond the brink of physical and mental exhaustion doesn't make them better physicians. If it did, we wouldn't have world-renowned surgeons coming out of Great Britain. Their residents work regular hours, probably because they recognize the hypocrisy of claiming to be symbols of good health while working themselves to death."

"And they spend several more years in residency in order to have those work hours. Like it or not, there are certain things that must be learned after med school. There are a certain number of hours that must be spent in the O.R. to be fully licensed and board-certified as a surgeon, more here than other places because of the liability risk in our litigious society. If you want to reduce the work-week, you're going to have the extend the number of years in training, that's the bottom line."

"Then extend it."

"That's easy for you to say as an attending. How would you feel if you were still a resident all these years out of med school? How would your family feel about it?"

"They'd adjust."

"The path is already long, Abbey. A lot of countries start their medical students off right after high school. The American model pushes them into four years of undergraduate first, then four more years in medical school. Five to seven years after that to become a surgeon and a few more years tacked on to subspecialize in things like thoracic surgery. Most of us have no problem with that because it's what's necessary. But by the time the average physician becomes an attending surgeon, they're in their 30s. Now you're saying you want to make it even longer and you're surprised that we're not all lining up behind you to advocate for it?"

"You're jumping 10 steps ahead of me. All I'm talking about today is limiting the amount of time residents at this hospital are kept on duty. We can argue about long-term consequences to the medical curriculum some other time, but for now, what's wrong with me sending residents home post-call? If you're right and there are no liability risks to working 100-hour weeks, all that happens is some residents get some extra hours to themselves. But if you're wrong and our residents are too exhausted to provide the standard of care, it might save a life or two. We'll compare the mortality rates. It'll be an experiment. For the sake of the patients, Robert, what's the problem?"

She reasoned that Robert cared about the patients just as much as she did, which was why he'd find it tough to offer a counterpoint.

"Even if I agreed with you, I couldn't support this," he told her.

"Why?"

"Because when you start sending people home, you disrupt the entire schedule. Everyone's going to have to take call every other day because we don't have the staff."

"Let me work on it and prove to you that won't happen."

"How are you going to do that?"

"By operating under the idea that each resident is only allowed 60 hours on-duty per week and is required to take at least eight hours of post-call time off. We'll do a night-float to fill in the gaps."

"Where are those numbers coming from?"

"Those are the numbers being thrown around by patient advocates in New York. They're petitioning the AMA to reduce resident work hours."

"It's never going to fly."

"Maybe not, but before you make up your mind on whether or not it's feasible, give me the leeway to revamp the schedule. The new batch of interns start in 10 days." She caught him before he gave his trademark sigh of disinterest. "Robert, I have no pull without you. You're a high-level academic attending. Sign off on it and I can take it to Harris. If you don't, I can't do a thing."

She watched Robert open his mouth and then close it again, as if searching for a way to rebuff her request but not quite sure he wanted to. Then, he got a look in his eye, one that Abbey recognized. She knew this man well. She'd first met him when she was a fourth-year medical student interviewing at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center for a general surgery residency. Once she matched into the program, Robert became an immediate mentor and friend, and when he took over as Chief of Surgery at the affiliate hospital in Manchester after her fellowship, Abbey moved with him, setting up her practice closer to home.

Abbey always believed that Robert was more than an ordinary doctor. He still had that spark of altruism that the vast majority of students have before the first day of medical school, the spark that, in some, starts to fade during four rigorous years of classes and hospital rotations, that eventually dies in some after residency. Whether the cynicism in those doctors came from the work itself or from facing the helplessness in losing patients day after day, she wasn't certain, but she had steeled herself against it. And so had Robert. She had faith in him to do right by the patients and she genuinely believed that her plan of action was exactly what the hospital needed.

As he stared back at her, his lips pressed together and his eyes still shining with that familiar look she recognized, Abbey predicted that she had made her case - he'd need to think about it, but he couldn't possibly deny her.

* * *

Feeling good after what she considered a triumph with Robert Nolan, Abbey finished up her work day and headed out shortly after two o'clock, as she always did when she was called in overnight. But before she went home, she had something else to take care of, something that had been gnawing at her - Jed's upcoming trip to the Seabrook power plant. Ever since he told her about the death threat he received, he'd been intentionally tightlipped about anything that had to do with his campaign and, she suspected, it was because of his scheduled tour of Seabrook. She assumed he didn't want her worrying about him, but what he didn't understand was the more he left her in the dark, the more he unwittingly bolstered her concerns.

Jed had a tendency to avoid these kinds of discussions and Abbey was too wound up to ignore the issue, so her only choice was to address it in a way that forced him to talk to her. She parked the car outside his campaign headquarters on Elm Street and marched in to confront him. He couldn't brush her off here, she reasoned, without raising the suspicion of his staff.

Mrs. Landingham was the first to see her. "Good afternoon, Mrs. Bartlet,"

"Hello, Mrs. Landingham, how are you today?"

Jed's aide, Brooke, looked up from the filing cabinet. "Mrs. Bartlet..."

"Good to see you, Brooke." Abbey had only met the campaign staff once, but knowing these were the people who would see Jed to his second congressional victory, she took the time to know them all by name. "Is my husband around?"

"Yes, Ma'am. He's in his office."

"Thank you." She didn't need an introduction. It was well known among Jed's staff that Abbey had walk-in privileges any time of the day or night. She knocked on the door to Jed's office and entered before he gave the cue.

"Abbey?" Jed was visibly surprised. He quickly recalled his commitments for the day in his head. "Did I forget we had a lunch date?"

"No, you were on my way home, so I decided to stop by. Do you have a few minutes?"

"That's about all I have. What's up?" Her stare gave her away. She arched her brow and waited for him to say something. "Don't tell me it's about the letter."

"Okay, I won't tell you."

"Abbey, do we have to do this here?"

"You won't do it at home," she argued. "I thought the only way to get you to do it is by coming here."

It was clear that he regretted even telling her about the letter. "The FBI is still working on it. I haven't heard anything more."

"Okay, then let's talk about Seabrook." She held firm when he sighed. "I don't want you to go."

"You don't want me to go? What am I supposed to do, tell my staff that my wife won't let me go on our little field trip? Should I call a press conference and announce that my schedule is now subject to your approval?"

"Don't be a jackass, Jed, I'm just worried!"

"I understand that, sweetheart, I do. But you have to understand that death threats aren't all that rare among public officials. I can't back down every time someone threatens me. If the President governed that way, this country would be in the hands of terrorists."

"You're not the President. And so what if you don't go to Seabrook? Is the world going to come to an end?"

"My campaign sure as hell will."

"The campaign is more important than your life?"

"Nothing is going to happen. I'll be safe, I swear."

"You can't guarantee something like that."

"Abbey, I have to go. I have to make a decision on Seabrook."

"You already made a decision." She could always read him like a book. "You don't support it. I know you don't. So why can't you just say that from Manchester? Just say it and maybe they'll get off your back."

"That's not why I would say it."

"I know it's not, but so what?"

"You really want me to do that? You want me to make a statement that gives the impression I'm caving to a psychopath's demands?"

"Yes," she said unconvincingly.

"And you'd still respect me?"

"I'll always respect you."

He allowed a moment to pass before he replied calmly, "I can't do it. I wish I could, if only because it would take away your fears. You're right, I have made my decision, but I still want to tour the plant in case there's something I've missed, something I'm not considering. Regardless of the visit, I can't come out against Seabrook yet. If I did, I'd be a puppet to these lunatics for the rest of my days in office."

Abbey heaved a sigh of her own, accepting it grudgingly. "I know. I just thought that maybe..."

"Listen." He took her hand. "This whole thing will be over soon and then we can go back to worrying about the real enemy."

She grinned. "The Republicans?"

"I was talking about the press, but now that you mention it..." he said teasingly. "I wish I could talk about it some more, but I have to go or I'm going to be late for a speech. Are we okay here?"

"Yeah."

Jed leaned in to give her a kiss to the cheek. "I'll try to be home for dinner."

"Mrs. Wilburforce is cooking lasagna tonight."

"Mmm, I'll definitely be home for dinner!" He drew a laugh out of her. "I love you."

"I love you too."

She waited a few minutes before she poked her head out of his office to make sure he was gone. Then, she flashed a smile as she walked past the staffers in the lobby and turned the corridor to where Ana, the scheduler Jed had hired fresh out of college, was finishing up a call. Abbey waited off to the side until Ana hung up the phone.

"Mrs. Bartlet, how nice to see you again." The younger woman gestured to an empty chair for Abbey to take a seat.

"No thanks, this should just take a second."

"What can I do for you?"

"Would it be too much trouble to add someone on my husband's visit to Seabrook?"

"Who would that be?"

"Me. I'd like to join him."

Ana didn't bother to check with Jed or the campaign director, Mark. There was no reason to, as far as she was concerned. Everyone knew how close Jed was to his wife. A request by her to accompany him on a campaign event wasn't out of the ordinary. A few strokes of her pen and Ana had revised the arrangements to include Abbey on the tour. Abbey thanked her and then left in a hurry to set off on her next errand.

* * *

The Manchester City Library was one of Ellie's favorite hangouts. During the school year, projects and book reports monopolized much of her time there, but over the summer, she had the freedom to read whatever she chose without a care if it was educational or fun and flirty. All that mattered was that she liked the story. She started a mental list of everything she wanted to add to her stockpile of summer books the second Abbey called to say she would stop by the farm to pick her up for a library run.

Zoey, on the other hand, was less excited. The only reason she tagged along was because Abbey insisted she had to, and the promise that she would finally get her very own library card just like her sisters. Zoey wasn't much of a reader, but a library card carried a certain level of significance in the family. It was rite of passage, a symbol of reaching the age at which you could pick out your own books and read by yourself. And reading wasn't just encouraged in her household, it was lauded as a special activity, one that triggered, fed, and exposed the imagination to a world outside of the mundane experiences of daily life.

No one had a bigger collection of books than the Bartlets. Jed and Abbey's study at home had a wrap-around cherry wood bookcase crowded on one wall with non-fiction books and texts on economics, science, politics, theology, and history. On the other wall, it was all fiction, half of it devoted to children's books and random novels the girls had bought over the years, the other half reserved for the classics, like 'The Grapes of Wrath,' 'Catcher in the Rye,' and 'Little Women.' The girls each had their own floor-to-ceiling bookcase in a corner of their rooms that they filled almost entirely with books they'd gotten out of the study downstairs. Lizzie and Ellie, like their parents, had been reading most of their lives. They were inspired to learn to read, tearing through Dr. Seuss and a number of other children's stories by the end of Kindergarten. For Zoey, though, it was a little more difficult to drum up the enthusiasm.

Abbey understood this, so she vowed to make it as interesting as possible. She started by helping Zoey fill out the children's application for her library card. "Write your name right there, exactly how you want it on the card."

Zoey thought for a moment, then asked, "Do I have to write MY name?"

"Of course you do. Whose name would you write if not yours?"

"I wanna choose a different name."

"Why?"

"I don't like Zoey. No one else I know has that name."

"But that's what makes it so special."

"Not to me. Why can't my name be Katie? I know three Katies!"

"Because your dad and I didn't name you Katie. We named you Zoey, and if you change it, do you have any idea how long it'll take your dad to learn to call you by a new name? It took him six years just to master Zoey!"

Zoey giggled at that. Even at her tender age, she knew how bad her father was with names. "It would be fun to mess him up all over again."

"Usually yes, but let's leave the name switcheroo for some other time, okay?"

"Okay." Reluctantly, Zoey wrote out her name by herself, then moved on to the box for her middle name.

"Pa-tric-ia." Abbey said it slowly as Zoey began to write the letters. "P-a-t-r-i-"

"I can spell it," Zoey said. Jed had been tutoring her for weeks on that. "Patricia."

"Very good. Do you remember how to spell Bartlet?" Abbey guided her through, but let her try it on her own first, until she stumbled. "Now try writing out our address."

"I don't know how."

"I'll help. Move down to that box over there. Do you remember what our address is?"

Zoey nodded. "2 Pruder Street."

"2 Pruder Street," Abbey confirmed as she spelled it out for her. "P-r-u-d-e-r. S-t-period. And the city?"

"Manchester!" Zoey wrote the word slowly, but she did it alone. This was something else on which Jed had been working with her. She hadn't cracked the whole address, but she'd learned to spell 'Manchester' right away because she liked the sound of the letters.

"Good. Last but not least, do you remember the abbreviation for New Hampshire?"

"N-H."

"Good job!" Abbey smiled. "All that's left is the zip code and then you print your name right there and you're done with your very first application! Neat, huh?"

When Zoey finished her part, Abbey signed the bottom of the form and they waited for several minutes for Zoey to receive her very first library card. What might have been a minor milestone to other moms was extremely important to Abbey, not just because Zoey had filled out the application herself, but also because of the pride on the six-year-old's face when she took that small laminated card to store away in her little pink purse, firm in her intent to use it.

Abbey hoped this would motivate her youngest daughter. Zoey was still learning how to read and it seemed her frustration with books was growing almost daily. A library card wouldn't magically turn the situation around, she acknowledged, but picking out her own books from so many options before her had to help jump-start her interest.

She allowed Zoey to browse the shelves in the young reader's section as Ellie came rushing over.

"Do I have some time to read here or are we going home soon?" The eager 11-year-old carried four books in her hands.

"You have a few minutes, but you won't have time for all those."

"I know. This one is to read here. These three are to check out."

Abbey took a look at what her middle daughter wanted to take home. Ellie was a prolific reader with eclectic taste. She enjoyed reading anything, from the classics to contemporary literature, fiction to biographies. She didn't care if the words were too big for her or if the plot was too mature. She adapted, as long as she was entertained.

Abbey gave a nod of approval at Charles Dickens's 'Oliver Twist,' one of the few Dickens novels they didn't have at home. She was also happy with 'The Babysitters Club,' the newly released book written for the preteen and young teen crowd. But when it came to Ellie's third selection - 'The Scarlet Letter' - she objected right away.

"This one's too old for you."

"No, it's not."

"Yes, it is. Put it back and get something else. Maybe 'Anne of Green Gables'?"

"I read that whole series years ago and anyway, we have them at home if I wanna read them again."

Abbey reached for another book. " 'The Secret Garden'?"

"Already read it."

She pulled out yet another one. " 'The Winds of March'?"

"Mom! I wanna read 'The Scarlet Letter.' Lizzie read it last year." She wasn't even in 7th grade yet, but Ellie had the reading comprehension of a high-schooler. She was drawn to books with more sophisticated themes and she felt she had to read everything Elizabeth read.

"When you're Lizzie's age, you can read it, but for now, put it back."

"But there's nothing else I wanna read."

"A whole library full of books and there's nothing else you want to read? Why don't you find something light?"

"That's what 'The Babysitters Club' is. I want something juicy for my third book!"

"Well, if you want juicy, how about some Nancy Drew?"

"Mom..."

"There are thousands of books here, Ellie. Pick one that's appropriate for you so we can go."

Ellie huffed as she stomped off, "I hate being eleven!"

Zoey looked at her mother and repeated the same thing she had heard Jed say about Elizabeth dozens of times, "She's such a drama queen."

Abbey chuckled. "Did you find anything you like?"

"This one!" Zoey held up a copy of Pinocchio.

"We have that one at home. Pick one we don't have." Abbey thumbed the titles and pulled out Shel Silverstein's 'The Giving Tree.' "How about this one?"

Zoey shrugged. "Okay."

"See if you can find one more you think you'll like. I'll be right over there."

Abbey kept her eye on Zoey as she headed toward the card catalogue for the other reason she came to the library. She had wanted to get Zoey her library card and she'd promised to take Ellie to pick up some books, but she had an ulterior motive for this midweek excursion - research. She scanned the card catalogue for every story she could find on the Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant, used microfiche to pull up the relevant articles, and printed them all out to take home in a stack so thick that she had to carry whatever wouldn't fit in the leather tote she had on her shoulder.

When Ellie and Zoey were ready to go, they checked out the books and Abbey lugged her pile of papers to the car, confident in what she was doing. If Jed wasn't going to talk to her about his death threat and the possible connection to Seabrook, she was prepared to investigate it herself.

* * *

Jed's light gray sedan kicked up the gravel on the long and winding drive to the farmhouse later that night, two hours later than he said he'd be home. It was dark out, but the porch light was on and Ellie was lying back on the two-person wooden swing with her feet up, reading. She rested her book on her tummy when she heard him and waited for him to park and get out of the car.

"Hi," she said. "I thought you were gonna be home for dinner."

"I got held up at a fundraiser," he replied. "What're you reading?"

She lifted the book to give him a peak at the title - 'The Color Purple.' Still a bit mature for her, but Abbey had given in. "Mom wouldn't let me get 'The Scarlet Letter.' "

"Mom took you to the library?"

"Yeah, and Zoey got her card."

"Where is Mom?"

"In the study."

Jed walked into the house and strutted directly to the study. "Abbey?"

Abbey sat at the desk, flipping through the articles she'd brought home with her. She glanced up for only a moment when he came in. "Hi."

"Sorry I'm late. The thing ran over."

"That's okay. I kept a plate of lasagna warm in the oven. There are leftovers in the fridge."

"Thanks." Jed stood there, hovering.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm waiting to see if there's something you want to tell me." He went on in response to her blank stare, "About my trip to Seabrook."

"Sounds like you already know."

"I canceled it. Not the trip, just you coming with me."

"Why?"

"Because I don't want you there and I have a feeling you knew that, which is why you didn't come to me."

"I did come to you."

"Not to tell me you wanted to go. You went to Ana to rearrange my trip."

"Yes, I did."

"And you don't see anything wrong with that?"

"A few hours ago, you told me that you were going to be safe. If that's true, why do you care if I come along?"

"I'm touring the plant in an official capacity, Abbey, as a congressman and as a candidate. I don't want my wife following me around."

"Is that how you see it - me following you around?"

"Don't twist my words so you can turn this around on me. You're in the wrong this time."

"I just want to be with you, Jed."

"I need to do this by myself."

"Are you touring the facility to find out more about Seabrook or are you touring the facility for photo ops?"

"You know the answer to that."

"I think I do. So what difference does it make if I'm with you while you're briefed...unless you were putting on a front earlier and you really do think there's a chance you're in danger."

"It has nothing to do with that."

"Then why are you so worked up about me going with you?"

"It's not about you going with me. I'm pissed that you went to my staff behind my back."

"I wouldn't have to go behind your back if you would stop avoiding the subject."

"I'm avoiding a subject we just spent five minutes on this afternoon?"

"Five minutes, you said it yourself. You don't think this is worthy of more than that? The only reason I got you to talk about the threat at all is because I came by your office. You've been putting me off ever since you told me about it."

"I've been busy. You know what campaigning is like."

"I've been busy too, Jed. But I made time to talk about this. Why haven't you?"

"Because I have enough to think about without worrying about you asking me to drop out of the race." The look that crossed her face made him reconsider that thought.

"You think I'm going to ask you to quit?" Abbey stood up and walked out from behind the desk.

"You asked me not to go to Seabrook."

"That's different."

"I don't see how. Why is it a leap to assume you might ask me to drop out now that someone's threatening me? You weren't exactly crazy about me running for a second term in the first place."

"Only because of how your first term was affecting you. When you got to Washington...well, let's just say there was a steep learning curve. I was worried about you and I missed you here at home. But asking you to quit your campaign in the middle of the race...you couldn't do it, Jed, even if I wanted you to." She looked him in the eye. "And I wouldn't put you in that position."

"Okay." Jed gave a nod of acknowledgment.

"Okay."

"Maybe I overreacted."

"Maybe?"

"I should have been more forthcoming about what I was thinking, but I'm still not comfortable with you going to my staff behind my back. When you request something, they bend over backwards to make it happen, Abbey. If it goes against what I want, it puts them in a terrible position."

"Fine." It was her turn now. "Maybe I was wrong."

"I know what that 'maybe' means." He'd just said it himself, after all.

After a brief and awkward silence, they shared a smile at the partial concessions they each made.

Abbey then continued, "I was frustrated because I couldn't pin you down for more than five minutes. I thought this might do it."

"It did."

"So I see." She couldn't deny she was happy about that. "Let's just say we were both wrong and start again."

"You were a little more wrong than me." He grinned at her.

"Jed..."

"Ah, we're starting this evening again." He touched his finger to her lips against her protest and steered the exchange in a different direction before she could object. "How are you?"

Abbey was too relieved that they skirted a fight not to play along. "Just fine. I kept a plate of lasagna warm for you in the oven."

"Thanks," he said, a little more appreciatively this time. "I hear Zoey got her library card. Did she check anything out?"

"Three, actually. I told her you'd help her read one of them tonight."

"Which one? And don't say 'Hickory Dickory Dock.' "

" 'The Velveteen Rabbit.' "

"Is that a choice she made on her own or a choice you made for her?"

"She wanted Pinocchio, Snow White, and Cinderella, books she knows by heart. So yeah, I pushed her in the direction of a story she's never heard, even though it's been sitting on the bookshelf since she was born. You disagree?"

"I didn't say that. I just want to be prepared for how grumpy she's going to be when I get up there to help her read it."

"Don't worry about that. Once Ellie told her what it's about, I couldn't pry it out of her hands. She's been waiting for you."

"I better go before the enthusiasm wears off then." It was rare that Zoey was excited about reading. "Coming with me?"

"Yeah, just give me a minute."

As Abbey turned to shut off the desk lamp, her eyes swept over the documents she had brought home. Pages upon pages of articles and data on Seabrook that Jed didn't know she had. She didn't hide them from him. She didn't even tuck them away so they'd be out of sight. She left them there on the desk in plain view and decided to read them later, then joined Jed on the walk upstairs to Zoey's room.

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

Series: Snapshots of the Past

Story: The Candidate's Daughter

Chapter 7

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Previously: Zoey got her library card; Abbey convinced Rob Nolan to let her revamp the surgical residency at her hospital; Abbey and Jed disagreed over the danger of his Seabrook tour

Summary: On the night of Liz's return from Cancun, the Bartlets have a family dinner with Abbey's parents and Doug; Jed and Abbey reminisce about their own relationship while Liz makes an important decision about hers

Author's Note: Is this difficult to read with the ruler as the only line break?

* * *

Elizabeth looked up from the book she was reading as if jolted out of a daydream. A storm system racing across the United States caused turbulence on the flight back from Cancun and turbulence on a plane always got her attention. When she realized it was just a few bumps in the clouds, she went back to 'Pride and Prejudice,' wrapping herself up in the romance of the novel.

Five days in Mexico with the rest of her class had been just what she needed after graduation, but it had also been five days away from Doug. She caught herself thinking about him constantly during the trip and each time she did, she reminded herself how much pride she'd always taken in not being one of those clingy girls who couldn't take a step without her boyfriend glued to her side. She'd known girls like that throughout high school and she was never one of them - until now, it seemed.

Everything reminded her of Doug. Lying on the beach, she had thoughts about how he'd rub suntan lotion on her back and make her laugh if he was lying next to her; eating at restaurants with her friends, she'd imagined what he'd order if he was there; and dancing at the clubs was miserable because every time she caught the eye of another guy, she had wondered what Doug would say, if he'd be jealous if all she did was talk to them. Every night, she slept with her headphones on and one song played over and over again. It was 'Stand By Me,' the song they'd danced to at prom after he'd given her the promise ring, the song that now reminded her of him whenever she heard it.

The morning they left to fly back home, Liz had deliberately picked out the outfit she'd wear on the plane. Doug was going to be at the airport in Boston to greet her, so she slipped into a pair of white wash jeans and a forest-green top with ruffles. Green was his favorite color, she remembered. Then, she realized how cliché she'd become, bypassing her own tastes and dressing for her boyfriend, like the girls back in school that she never quite understood. So, she decided to change into something she liked instead. She exchanged the white wash jeans for her dark wash ones and paired them with a peach halter top, crimped her long brown hair and anchored it in a side ponytail, then pinned it with a peach bow. A coat of lip gloss, a silver bangle bracelet, and a pair of silver hoop earrings completed the look. She felt comfortable, relaxed, and most importantly, she felt like herself.

It was on the ride to the airport, when she reached into her tote for her ticket, that her fingers brushed past the box that held the green shamrock studs that Doug had given her on St. Patrick's Day. She'd taken them with her to Cancun, but never had the opportunity to wear them since they didn't go with anything. They didn't exactly match her peach halter now either, but she took them out of the box and switched her silver hoops for the shamrocks anyway, knowing that Doug would be happy when he saw them. No big deal, she had thought. She wasn't dressing for him. It was just an expression of love, something that she wanted to do.

As the flight began the final descent into Logan International, Liz tucked her book away and stared out the window. She was the first one up when they got to the gate. Passengers filed out of the plane and she rushed past them in the jetway, excited to see Doug and her family again. Nearing the terminal, she noticed them - her parents, her sisters, Doug, and her grandparents. Doug was moving toward her, a bouquet of flowers in his hand. She ran, dropped her tote, and jumped into his arms.

Doug spun around once and kissed her on the lips before he let her down. "You're so tan!"

"You like it?"

Abbey piped up beside them, "More like baked. Did you use sunscreen at all?"

Liz chuckled. Her mother was always in doctor mode. "Yes, Mom, I used sunscreen several times a day, every day. And..." She held up the sombrero she carried. "I used this on the beach the whole time, except when I was in the water."

Zoey reached up for the hat. "Neat, Lizzie, can I have that?"

"No way, you little vulture!" Liz snatched her hand back.

"I am NOT a vulture!" Zoey turned to Ellie, "What's a vulture?"

With a laugh, Liz set the sombrero down and opened her arms wide to hug her parents and sisters. "I missed you guys!"

"We missed you too!" Ellie assured her. "It was way too quiet without you in the house!"

"Yeah, and there was virtually no melodrama whatsoever," Jed tacked on with a wink.

"Ha ha, very funny." Liz rolled her eyes.

"With all this commotion, you'd think you went away for a year," James teased from behind Jed as he stepped forward to embrace his granddaughter. "It was only five days, right?"

"Only? I was so homesick, you wouldn't believe it!" Liz hugged her Grandma Mary next.

"Did you bring me stuff from Mexico?" As always, Zoey's face beamed at the possibility of presents.

"Zoey," Abbey admonished. "It's not nice to ask people that."

"She's not people; she's Lizzie!"

Liz was amused. "Yes, Zoey, I went souvenir shopping yesterday and I just happened to see something that reminded me of you. But you're gonna have to wait until I unpack, okay?"

Jed wrapped an arm around Liz and led the way toward baggage claim. "Let's go get your bags and go home. We're having dinner as a family tonight."

"Doug too?" Liz asked, her hand clasped in Doug's.

"Yes, Doug too. We already invited him."

Jed never hid the fact that he didn't think Doug was a good match for his eldest daughter, but he was grateful that he at least treated her well. He was respectful of her, nice to her, greeted her with flowers now and then, and as far as Jed knew, he'd been mindful of her feelings ever since that ill-fated dinner he spent with them back in November.

Tonight, Jed would see if all that was really true. He and Abbey had invited Doug to the farm to give Abbey's parents a chance to get to know him, something they knew would be important to Liz. For her sake, Jed was willing to give Doug another chance - a real one, without judgment or snark.

* * *

In the formal dining room of the farmhouse that evening, everyone dined on lamb served over saffron rice and garnished with lemon slices and steamed broccoli. In typical Bartlet fashion, the table buzzed with conversation. Liz told tales of Cancun, Zoey raved about her riding lessons and begged her grandfather to convince her parents she needed a horse instead of a pony, and Ellie was so riveted by her new book that her eyes twinkled with energy as she talked to Mary about the controversial undertones in it.

"It was banned last year in Bradford County, but the school board promised they'll have it on the library shelves in September," she said.

"I'm surprised they reversed the decision so quickly," Mary replied.

"They were right to, Grandma. No one can say it's not educational and it's so good, I can't put it down! It won a Pulitzer three years ago and last year, they made it into a movie..." Ellie turned a bitter eye to Abbey. "...which my mom wouldn't let me watch!"

Abbey returned the stare. "Don't push it, Goldilocks. You're lucky I'm letting you read it."

Ellie broke a smile at that. Abbey had said the adult themes were too old for her and it had taken 20 minutes of cajoling there at the library to get her to agree to let her check it out. The crafty preteen considered it a victory, given that it was universally known in the Bartlet house that once her mother made a decision, she was unlikely to change her mind. Her curiosity of the 'The Scarlet Letter' - the book she was determined to sweet-talk her way into reading before the end of summer - hadn't waned, but for now, she was satisfied with 'The Color Purple.'

At the other end of the table, Jed cut Zoey's meat for her and threw himself into a different topic of conversation. "Elizabeth, did you tell your grandfather about the scholarship?"

"To Wellesley?" James asked curiously.

"It's not a full ride," she told him. "It'll cover books and part of room and board."

"And the rest?" James looked over at Jed, suspecting he was the one who'd be making out the tuition checks.

"College fund," Jed replied. "Abbey and I started one when she was born."

It was like déjà vu for Doug. During the first dinner he spent with the Bartlets, academics played a prominent role in the conversation. He'd felt back then that he didn't fit in and that Jed didn't think he was good enough to date his daughter. Now, sitting at the table for a second time, he felt his insecurities rising once again and he was desperate to choke them back. He wouldn't make a fool of himself again, he vowed quietly as he listened to the family chatter around him.

Sensing his discomfort, Liz snuck her hand below the table and rested it on his thigh. "Doug chose a major. Did I tell you?"

"No, you didn't." Jed addressed the young man with genuine interest. "So Doug, what's it going to be?"

Doug shifted in his seat and said with little conviction, "Dairy Management. My parents own a working dairy farm. That's how they make their living, so it seemed like a good way to learn the family business."

"That's a great idea. Believe it or not, despite living on a farm myself, I know terrifyingly little about farming and agriculture. Maybe we could talk about it sometime."

"I'd like to," Doug agreed, letting down his guard just a little bit.

Jed remembered himself in Doug's position. When he met Abbey's family for the first time, James had asked him what he was studying in college. He tentatively said American Studies and added that he planned to get a graduate degree and join the ranks in academia. He reminded himself how good he felt when James praised his decision, and in an effort to overcome their past troubles for Liz's sake, Jed wanted Doug to feel the same.

Meanwhile, Zoey had managed to steal Mary's attention away from Ellie. "Daddy says I'll be reading just as good as Ellie when school starts."

"You won't be reading novels by then, Zo," Ellie informed her.

"I might be! You don't know!"

"I think Zoey's making remarkable progress with her reading," Abbey intervened. Zoey had been so discouraged about reading until recently that she took every opportunity she found to build her confidence.

"How old were you when you learned to read, Mommy?"

"Just about your age."

Mary added to that, "Do you know what motivated her to learn to read?"

"What?"

"The newspaper. Most children want to read Snow White or Peter Rabbit; your mother wanted to read the front page of the 'Montpelier Times.' When I explained to her that she'd have to start with picture books or Dr. Seuss, she gave in and then insisted we read every night until she could read the paper."

Ellie had never heard this story before. "Why?"

Mary explained, "Because it's what her father read. Grandpa had a routine. When he got home from work, we'd have dinner and then, he'd want to read his paper for a little while. Your mom hated the thought of not having his attention for even a minute, so once she got good at sounding out words, she'd come to me with the paper and I'd help her circle the stories we knew he'd like and then we'd go through them. I'd tell her what the words meant and summarize the articles so that she could talk to him about them when he got home."

"Really Mom? The paper?"

"I was mature for my age," Abbey pointed out.

"The paper's full of stuff like crime and violence." Ellie had a mischievous tone to her voice. "I'm surprised you weren't told 'these adult themes are too old for you.' "

Abbey knew where this was headed. "It was small-town Vermont. The biggest crime was pranks by local kids stealing hubcaps and dumping them in the fountain in town square."

"Are we talking about your past as a juvenile delinquent again?" Jed teased his wife from across the table, having heard the tail end of that particular exchange. "I'd like to contribute if we are."

"Careful, Jethro, or we'll have to delve into your childhood indiscretions."

"Yours are more colorful, especially with your parents here to tell us all the sordid tales."

James shook his head. "Abigail gets on our case when we share those anecdotes with the girls."

"That's because they use them against me, Dad." Abbey directed her stare right at her middle daughter, who giggled in response.

"How old was Daddy when he learned to read?" Zoey wanted to know.

"Daddy was born knowing how to read!" Ellie joked, thinking of her father's love of books on every topic imaginable.

"How I wish that was true," Jed laughed. "I wasn't much younger than you, Zoey. Neither were Liz and Ellie. Liz learned the sound of letters by helping me type things up on the typewriter."

Jed cherished the memory of little Lizzie in his lap pushing down on the keys he pointed to on the typewriter.

"And she began reading when I was studying for boards," Abbey went on. "I'd read my medical books and she'd sit beside me and read 'Green Eggs and Ham' or whatever she'd checked out of the library."

Doug smiled, imagining Liz as a child. "I bet you were adorable. Is it too soon to ask to see baby pictures?"

"I've got hundreds!" Jed announced proudly.

Liz's cheeks turned red. She was desperate to postpone the baby pictures for as long as humanly possible. "Can we talk about something else please?"

Lucky for her, Jed had another topic in mind. He addressed James and Mary. "Did Abbey tell you she's fighting residency work hours at the hospital?"

"No, that's wonderful! It's about time someone took on that cause!" James was bothered by the inhumane hours back when Abbey was in training.

"Jed, don't get excited," Abbey cautioned. "Nothing's been done yet."

"Rob Nolan gave you the green light to revamp the residency program, did he not? You'll turn things around in no time. I have faith."

"He put you in charge? Way to go, Mom!"

As Liz congratulated her mother and a roundtable discussion was launched, Doug tried to hide his ignorance by sinking slightly in his seat and hoping that no one looked to him for input. He knew nothing about residency or the grueling hours required of physicians and unlike the Bartlets and Barringtons, who all kept up with current events on a daily basis, he hadn't even heard of the Libby Zion case in New York.

"Mommy, does that mean you'll go to work less?" Zoey asked.

"No, sweetheart. If anything, I'll be working more for a little while to cover for the residents we're going to send home. But hopefully, that won't last too long. We'll expand the program and things will be back to normal in no time."

"Wait, you'll be working more? How much more?" Liz worried that Abbey's hours would suddenly go back to the standard of residency and fellowship.

"It's too early to tell."

"It's a good thing, Lizzie," Jed jumped in before Liz could express any doubts. "She'll be responsible for changing the face medical training as we know it, at least at her hospital. Besides, you'll be too busy to notice. You start your internship next week."

That got Mary's attention. "That's right, Lizzie. Are you excited to work on the campaign?"

Liz nodded. "I can't wait!"

"What will you be doing?"

Jed answered for her. "She'll start in the finance office."

That was news to Liz. "What? I thought I'd get to follow you around."

"Well, you'll get to come out with me in the field every now and then, but if you're going to learn the ins and outs of campaigning, you need to spend time getting to know all the departments. Uncle Jack will help you get familiar with the finance office."

"But..."

Abbey interjected, "Finance is crucial to campaigning and public policy, Liz. During your dad's first congressional campaign, we ran out of money after the primary and had to fundraise like crazy. This time, we recruited the entire finance committee early."

Jed liked that Abbey always included herself in his campaign decisions. He liked running things past her, hearing her input and ideas. "And we began stocking the war chest from the moment I took the oath."

"How's it looking this year?" James questioned his son-in-law.

"I don't know what's going to happen after September, but I feel good going into the primary."

"Dad's opponent is something like 20 points behind," Liz told him.

"He means well. He just doesn't know what he's doing."

"How can he mean well if he's trying to throw you out of office?"

"I didn't say he wasn't tragically misinformed." Jed could hold the toughest of grudges against some opponents, like Elliot Roush, but he had a soft-spot for politicians who were in it for the right reasons, even if he vehemently disagreed with them.

"He'll never win!" Liz turned to her grandfather. "He's on a mission to prove he's more liberal than Dad."

"Is he?" James considered Jed to be a strong liberal by New Hampshire standards, which translated into moderately liberal by Massachusetts and Vermont standards.

"Let's put it this way," Jed began. "If you look to his right, you'll see Castro."

Doug sat anxiously beside his girlfriend, wanting to contribute to the conversation with the only tidbit of political knowledge he had. "Mr. Bartlet, what's going on with the death threat? Have they found the guy?"

And the table went silent.

Liz, who was stunned by Doug's revelation, watched her father's expression change right before her eyes. "What death threat? What's going on?"

Ellie turned to her mother for answers. "Mom?"

Doug felt out of his element before, but now he just wanted to run out of the room. "I thought everyone knew."

Only Jed and Abbey had known about the threat. They hadn't even told Abbey's parents yet. They'd planned to tell Liz in the next few days, before she began her internship, but they thought it was too much for Zoey to understand and that it would scare Ellie to know that someone was targeting her father. They'd decided it was best to shield their younger daughters from the news until the FBI made an arrest.

So much for that.

"How did YOU know?" Jed couldn't believe that Doug, of all people, had this information.

"My roommate is a mass comm major. He's an intern at Channel 7."

"I haven't told the media about this."

"Someone in your campaign did." Doug shrugged. "That's how my roommate found out. He said they're holding the story because of the FBI."

"Excuse me." Jed threw his linen napkin on the table, pushed his chair out, and left the room with heavy strides.

Liz rested her eyes on Abbey. "Is it true?"

"Maybe now isn't the time to get into this," Mary offered, trying to give her daughter an out.

Ellie prodded anyway. "Mom?"

"It's nothing," Abbey finally said. "Someone sent a nasty letter to your dad."

"Was it a death threat, like Doug said?"

"What's a death threat?" Zoey furrowed her brows, confused.

"You guys, it really is no big deal. The FBI is looking into it because they always investigate this kind of thing."

"What kind of thing? Why would they threaten Dad?"

"He's a congressman, Ellie. Why do you think?"

"Liz, that's enough." Abbey spoke firmly yet frankly. "Yes, it was a death threat. No, it's not serious."

"How is a death threat not serious?" Liz demanded.

Zoey repeatedly banged her silverware against the table. "What...is...a...death...threat?"

Abbey angrily replied, "Zoey, you do that again and you're going to your room!" She took a breath and said with a calm inflection, "Can we please enjoy the rest of our dinner and talk about this later?"

Just as she made that request, Jed's voice boomed from the kitchen. "I TOLD EVERYONE I WANTED TO KEEP THIS QUIET! FIND OUT WHO LEAKED IT AND FIRE HIS ASS!"

He banged the phone down on the receiver, then stalked back into the dining room to reclaim his seat. The girls exchanged glances at each other over the table, but none of them said another word about the threat. The rest of the meal was shared over shallow exchanges and pleasantries with James and Mary doing their best to quell the awkwardness while Jed silently sulked about Doug's loose lips.

* * *

"He didn't do it on purpose. He was just trying to make conversation," Abbey reasoned with her husband as they rinsed the dishes alone in the kitchen that night.

"There was already a conversation going. The only reason he brought that up was because he had nothing else to contribute."

"So he's not well-informed about politics. There are worse things in the world."

Jed put the last of the glasses in the dishwasher. "I went into this evening open-minded, Abbey, you know I did. It didn't help in the slightest. I can't shake my dislike for him."

"His lack of discretion notwithstanding, he was perfectly pleasant tonight."

"There's something about him that makes me cringe, something more than what happened at dinner. I can't put my finger on it."

"Jed," Abbey sighed as she wiped down the counter.

"What?"

"I have to wonder if what makes you uncomfortable is that he's not a genius."

"What? No!"

"You've gotta admit, one of the reasons you got along so well with Sven was that he was a highly intelligent young man."

"He was a Rhodes Scholar who could talk about anything in the world, and yes, I liked that about him. But I don't judge people based on their intellect!" He was offended by the suggestion.

"Honey, I wasn't trying to say you're a snob. All I meant is that I think you want Liz to end up with someone who has a lot to talk about, someone who has ideas and doesn't have a problem expressing them, like Sven."

"Yes, I want her to be with someone as smart as she is. What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing, but that may not be what SHE wants."

"Not now maybe, but she's still young. She'll want that in the long run, just wait and see. She'll open her eyes and realize that Doug isn't the one for her."

"You sound sure about that."

"I am. When I think of Liz becoming an adult, I imagine her finding a good man, a partner for life, someone she has a lot in common with, like you and me. She'll finish grad school and start her career, she'll get married and come over with her husband every week and on holidays and all of us'll gather around for family dinners here at the farm, the way we do with your parents."

"That would be nice."

"Yeah, and it's a sure thing that it's not gonna happen with Doug. It's like Doug doesn't even like being around us. Did you see how quickly they left tonight? He couldn't wait to get out of here."

"Don't take it personally. He probably felt bad about bringing up the threat and I'm sure he and Liz just wanted to spend some time alone together."

"Doing what? Hanging out at his place and watching TV?" Jed scoffed.

* * *

"Your father hates me. He's always going to hate me."

In the passenger's seat of Doug's car, Liz held his hand as he drove. "He doesn't hate you. What happened at dinner wasn't your fault. How were you supposed to know he hadn't told us?"

"Did you see his face when he came back to the table? He wanted to throw me out of the house right then and there."

"No, he didn't. He was just upset. He always gets upset when he has to fire people."

Doug turned a quick glance her way. "And this time he had to fire someone because of me."

"Doug, I don't want to spend the whole night talking about my father."

"What do you want?"

Liz took out her cassette tape of 'Stand By Me' and slid it into Doug's player. "I want to go back to your place and hang out. I missed you so much when I was in Mexico."

"I missed you too."

"Then let's put all this aside and concentrate on us."

The wipers swept the rain from the windshield as Doug stepped on the gas.

* * *

Back in the kitchen of the farmhouse, Jed went on, "I remember when a date meant chocolates and flowers, taking a girl somewhere nice - a fancy restaurant, a movie, a walk in the park. When did it become romantic to sit in your boyfriend's apartment and eat popcorn in front of the television?"

Abbey's mind flashed back to 1966 and all the fun she and Jed had getting to know each other. "We did the courtship thing differently, didn't we?"

"We sure did. We did it the right way."

"It was a different time back then."

"A classier time. People got to know each other more formally. I used to take you out whenever I was home from school, remember? We'd spend the whole evening talking about each others dreams and aspirations, what we each wanted out of life."

"We did that in the letters too. I still have all of them, yours and mine."

"How did I know that?" He grinned. "I thought back then the most frustrating thing about our relationship was that you were in Boston and I was in Indiana. But now I think that might have been what helped us get so close so fast."

"I do too. We couldn't see each other, but we had so much to talk about. We used to fall asleep with the phone still attached to our ears some nights."

"Until your dad got the phone bill," he recalled. "Boy, was he mad. Mine too."

"They got over it."

"Eventually, after we promised we'd only write from then on."

The phone calls were important, but it was the letters that allowed Jed and Abbey to form their bond and discover what they had in common. They didn't just write about their experiences at college; they expressed their thoughts about the political atmosphere in the country, the escalation of the war in Vietnam and the protests against it, Indira Gandhi's election to Prime Minister of India and actor Ronald Reagan's rise to governor of California, the feminist movement and the inclusion of female runners in the Boston Marathon for the first time ever, and even the debut of a show Jed thought wouldn't last past a few episodes - 'Star Trek.'

Nothing was off-limits in those letters.

"It was a good decision we made when we started writing more regularly."

"Because it gave you a chance to chronicle our courtship and save it for eternity?"

"That, and because when you have to write to get close someone, you tend to bare your soul," Abbey said wistfully. "And the other person gets to dig far beneath the surface and learn who you really are. After a dozen of your letters, I knew exactly who Jed Bartlet was, better than I had ever known anyone else in my life."

Every letter Jed sent was an uninterrupted flow of thoughts and opinions on life, a monologue of ideas that gave Abbey priceless insight into his psyche; not just his likes and dislikes, but what he stood for and what he believed personally, politically, spiritually, and philosophically. He told her things that he had never shared with anyone before and in return, he got the same level of candor and honesty. It was intimate, in an innocent sort of way.

"I felt the same way about your letters," he told her. "I learned in weeks what it takes some men years to learn about the women they love. I don't know if it would have happened that quickly face-to-face."

"We were so open with each other in what we wrote."

"It's easier to be open on paper than it is in person with someone you barely know."

"By that summer, I felt like we were soulmates. And by that winter..." She got a sparkle in her eye at the memory of their first time making love, nearly a year after they began dating.

"I hadn't proposed yet, had I?"

"No, but I knew you would, or that I would pretty soon."

"That night we made love was so special. It's like it was a year in the making."

"It was."

"It was the build-up that made it like that. That's my problem with kids of the 80s. They move too fast. They don't understand how special it is when it's done properly."

"I assume we're not talking about Liz and Doug now?"

"No, kids in general." Jed stood facing her. "I might have to vote 'no' on this sex ed bill in the House when we go back."

"Oh, Jed."

"I know what you're going to say, Abbey, but reminiscing about our relationship only confirms what I believed all along."

"Which is?"

"It's too liberal a bill. I believe in birth control and STD prevention, I believe in giving teenagers access to protection. But it has to be balanced with proper education. This bill doesn't provide for that."

"What does it provide for?"

"Condoms on display in the nurse's office at schools across the country. Anyone who wants them, picks them up without a thought. I know you're thinking of AIDS and I am too, but I'm also thinking that kids should know how special sex really is, especially if you wait until you're older. You were 21 when we slept together. There's a world of difference in maturity between a young woman in her early 20s and one in her teens, don't you think?"

"I'll agree with that."

"There's so much peer pressure nowadays. Kids should be told over and over again that they have the option of waiting, that it's not something you do just because you think you're in love or because it's what everyone else is doing. This is something you want to share with only one person, your soulmate. They should know what it feels like to be that close to someone, the one person in the world you know inside and out, better than you know yourself even, and how amazing it is to give them that gift and experience it together for the first time."

The doctor in Abbey held a different position, but the wife in her understood exactly what Jed was saying. He was always a traditional romantic and so was she. In her mind, she could still relive that December night back in 1966 like magic. No fogginess. No distortion. It was extraordinary and part of what made it extraordinary was how well they had known each other before it happened. Jed wasn't just her boyfriend. He wasn't a teenage crush or a high school romance. Their bond was much stronger than that. He was the love of her life and even at the age of 21, she would have bet everything she had that he was the man who'd always be by her side, the one she'd have children with, the one with whom she'd someday grow old.

They had many of the same interests, both had lofty aspirations, cared about the world around them and wanted to serve others in their own fields - him as a professor and her as a doctor. They shared a lot of themselves and because of that, they learned what the rest of the universe didn't know, they learned what was in the others heart. There was no substitute for that type of connection. It helped them form a rock-solid relationship and after they slept together for the very first time, they realized their fate was already carved in stone.

* * *

It was raining harder now. A thunderstorm had moved in. Lightning lit up the neighborhood and claps of thunder reverberated through Doug's apartment. Although it was a quick sprint from the car to the front door, Liz was soaked. Doug led her to his bedroom, where he pulled out an oversized T-shirt for her to change into. He searched his drawers for a pair of old sweats that might fit her, and with his back to her, he was oblivious to Liz nervously rifling through her purse to pull out a condom. It was one of the ones that her friend Morgan had left in her room on the night of the prom. She threw it on the bed just as Doug turned around.

He looked at it, then looked up at her. "Are you serious?" Liz nodded. "If this is because you're trying to cheer me up..."

"Do you think a condom just appeared in my purse on the ride over? I had already planned this."

"A few months ago, you didn't want to." Doug understood that Liz had never been physically intimate with anyone before. He respected that and didn't pressure her.

"I changed my mind. It's a woman's prerogative, you know." Liz closed the space between them and tilted her head to kiss him. "I love you. I love you so much."

Doug had awakened something in her, temptations that she no longer wanted to resist. Her hands shaking, she reached down to unbuckle his belt.

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

Series: Snapshots of the Past

Story: The Candidate's Daughter

Chapter 8

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Previously: Doug inadvertently revealed Jed's death threat to everyone during a family dinner; while Jed and Abbey reminisced about their courtship and discussed how quickly kids of the 80s are growing up, Liz told Doug she was ready to take their relationship to the next level

Summary: It's Father's Day 1986

Rated NC-17 (The rating is for Jed and Abbey, not Liz and Doug. I can't bring myself to write Liz and Doug in bed together. Sorry!)

* * *

It was confidence that Liz was feeling on the drive home with Doug that night. She had once feared sleeping with him, wondered if she was ready to take that important step, wondered if she could handle the magnitude of raw emotion that came with such an intimate act, even wondered if that was all Doug wanted from her, if maybe he wouldn't be there afterwards if she went all the way. But she felt confident in the answer to all those questions now. Their time together had been so great that she had no doubts left, not about whether or not she was ready for it and not about his loyalty to her. She replayed it all in her mind. Her hands shook, her heart raced. No man had ever seen her naked before. After she made it clear that she wasn't doing anything she didn't want to do, he had eased her into it. He'd been so gentle that it only reaffirmed her trust in him.

The rain had stopped around the time they got out of bed and dressed so they could make her curfew, but the remnants of moisture on the roads made them shine under the headlights of Doug's car until they pulled into the gravel drive that led to the farmhouse. Her parents always left the porch light on for her, but tonight, it wasn't just the porch light Liz could see. The house lights were on too, both upstairs and downstairs. They were still up. And with that realization, she felt a tightness in her stomach, as if her parents were going to know what had happened just by looking at her.

She flipped the visor to check her hair and makeup in the mirror. She'd fixed them before they left Doug's apartment, but she wanted to look perfect, believing that one minor imperfection might give her away. When that was done, she ran her hands over her clothes to straighten out her blouse as Doug stopped the car.

"I wish I didn't have to go."

"Do you have to? I could take us back to my place."

"Are you kidding? My dad would lose it if I spent the night at your apartment!"

"You're 18."

"That's not how it works with us. Don't you remember graduation night?"

"I thought he got past that."

"He did, but it doesn't mean he forgot. As long as I'm living at home, I'm expected to follow their rules; and he likes to know I'm in my own bed, safe and sound, at night."

"Unless you're at one of your girlfriend's, right? We'll take off before they see us and you can call them and tell them you're spending the night with Tori. How would they know?"

"Doug, I can't." Liz shifted in her seat so that she was facing him. "What happened tonight was beautiful. I don't want to cheapen it by sneaking around. If they found out...I just don't want to do it. Okay?"

"Yeah." Doug leaned in to give her a kiss goodnight. "Tomorrow?"

"I have a family thing."

"Oh yeah. I guess I do too."

"I'll call you though."

"Okay."

Liz locked her lips with his once more before she got out of the car and headed to the front door.

Inside, Jed listened in the hallway upstairs as Abbey invited herself into Ellie's room to talk to her about Doug's slip of the tongue at dinner. Ellie hadn't said much after she learned of Jed's death threat. She sat quietly at the dinner table and after her grandparents left, she ran to her room without a word to either of her parents. Jed wanted to follow her up, but Abbey convinced him it was better to let her have some space to think it over on her own before either of them barged in to discuss it.

Listening to them now, he had to wonder if that time alone made any difference whatsoever.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Ellie asked.

"We wanted to."

"But you didn't."

"We were going to."

"When?"

"We hadn't decided when, but we were going to."

"Why hadn't you told us yet? Didn't we have a right to know?"

Abbey took a deep breath and went on cautiously, "No. I'm sorry, Ellie, but some things are for your dad and me to deal with, which is not to say that we would intentionally keep something from you that we thought would affect you. Dad was never in any danger. He had an armed officer with him at every campaign event, he had police monitoring his offices, both here and in DC. The FBI was investigating the threat."

"I don't care. Someone wanted to kill him and you don't think we deserved to know?"

"We did what we did to protect you."

"From what? No one's going to hurt me. It's him they're after."

Jed couldn't bear to listen any longer. He knocked on Ellie's door and let himself in. "Ellie, no one's going to hurt me."

Ellie tearfully told him, "You don't know that!"

"I do." In his best superhero voice, Jed continued, "I'm Dad. I know all."

His attempt at humor didn't produce even the hint of a smile, the way it would have with Liz. Ellie was genuinely upset and Jed struggled to find the right words to comfort her. Kneeling down beside her bed, he made another try, this one much more sincere.

"Look Ellie, this is politics. I'm out there every day giving my opinion on serious issues that matter to people and what's more, the people who hear my opinion know that I'm not just talk. They know that I'm in a position to make things happen. Some people aren't going to like that, some aren't going to agree with me. They're going to want to influence me. The vast majority will choose a non-threatening approach. They'll write to me or call me and ask me to reconsider my stand. But there are going to be those who can't get their point across without threats. You see, they think they can intimidate me if they do that. That's why they do it. They don't really want to hurt me. They just want me to think they will so that I'll give in and I'll sacrifice my own beliefs in favor of what they think I should do. You understand I can't do that, right?"

"Yes." If there was one thing Ellie could count on, it was that her father wouldn't surrender to bullies. "But that's what makes me sick about politics. If you do what you want, you get called names or you get threatened. What's the point?"

"Ellie, that's not how all politics is."

"I don't want to talk about it anymore."

"We have to talk about it," Abbey argued.

"Why?"

"Because you don't resolve things by ignoring them."

While Abbey tried to reason with her, Jed backed off. If it was Liz he was dealing with, he'd push and prod until he got through to her. It worked with her. With Ellie, all it did was push her further away. Abbey once told him that Ellie's tendency to avoid uncomfortable situations reminded her of him. Standing there that night, watching as Ellie tried to duck her way out of the conversation Abbey wanted to have, he thought about that. He saw a flash of familiarity and he didn't know how to handle it. So, he left it in Abbey's hands. He snuck out the door before he was noticed and started down the hall toward the stairs just as Liz walked in the house.

"Hey," she said, avoiding looking at him for fear that her special night with Doug was written all over her face.

Jed checked his watch. "It's after curfew. You're late."

"By five minutes."

"Late is late."

Liz heard Abbey and Ellie's voices as she climbed the stairs. "What's going on?"

"They're discussing the death threat."

"And why you didn't tell us?"

"Don't start," Jed replied.

"I'm not complaining; I'm just saying." She stepped onto the top landing where he was.

"You're not complaining? You always complain. If there's a reason to complain, you complain. Hell, if there's not a reason to complain, you make one up."

"If you're going to be this delightful to me, maybe I will complain." She got her sarcasm from her father. "I could, you know. It was pretty crummy that you guys didn't tell us something so important."

"We thought it was better to wait. I still think it would have been better to wait, but thanks to someone's big mouth, that's no longer an option." He was still bitter that Doug had let the cat out of the bag.

"That's not fair. Doug had no idea we didn't know. You can't blame him for this."

"I bet I could if I tried."

"You're never going to like him, are you?" Liz wanted to probe that particular subject, but she was still self-conscious about her evening and she could see that her father was already on the defensive. Any discussion would just lead to a fight. "I'm going to bed. Goodnight."

"Elizabeth?" Jed grabbed her arm to keep her from walking away.

"I don't want to argue, Dad."

"I'm not going to argue." He wrapped her up in a hug instead. "I just want to say thank you."

"For what?"

"For barely complaining. You're right, it was crummy that we didn't tell you. We didn't want to burden you with it."

"You've got police protection, right?"

"Yeah."

"And you're safe?"

"I am. I really am."

She pulled out of the embrace. "Then I guess I understand why you and Mom wouldn't want us to worry."

"That's what I was hoping you'd say." With a sigh and a smile, he said, "Goodnight, sweetheart."

"Goodnight." Liz began toward her bedroom, but stopped and turned back to her father. "Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"That hug just now - were you checking my breath for alcohol?" She couldn't exactly blame him. It was her first night out with Doug since she came home drunk after graduation.

Jed paused for a beat, but he couldn't deny it. Her lack of eye contact had raised his suspicion and he had to be sure. He lowered his head, looking up at her sheepishly. "I hate that you know me so well."

"I had nothing to drink."

"I know."

"You could have just asked."

"I know that too, but this way I got a hug out of it and those are rare these days." He pointed to his watch. "It's after midnight. Don't be mad at me."

He waited for her response, relieved when he saw her expression soften.

"You only get to use that for 24 hours." Liz gave a good-humored shake of her head as she gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Happy Father's Day."

* * *

"Is she still pissed?" Jed turned down the covers in the master bedroom a little while later.

"No. She's worried about you." Very much like her mother, Abbey thought from the bathroom, where she was getting ready for bed.

"She sounded pissed to me."

"She's concerned."

"Liz is fine with it."

"Ellie isn't Liz."

"I'm saying Liz understands why we didn't say anything. Maybe she could talk to Ellie."

"Maybe you could talk to Ellie."

Sounding defeated, Jed reminded her, "I tried. It didn't make any difference."

"We'll try again tomorrow. For now, put it out of your mind."

He opened his mouth to explain how difficult that would be, but what he saw when he turned toward her rendered him speechless. Abbey approached him, wearing a navy blue silk camisole, one of Jed's favorites and one she wore only when she wanted to entice him. He felt a surge of energy and prepared to grab her and throw her on the bed. She turned from him before he could, though, and searched her dresser drawer to pull out a silver gift-wrapped box and a card sealed with the faint smudge of lipstick.

"Can this possibly wait?" he pleaded with her.

"No." She handed him the card first.

Reluctantly suppressing his desire, Jed began to open it. The girls favored goofy cards, but Abbey usually bought him a sentimental one, and this year, the one she picked was gorgeous. It had a bronze border and in the center were chess pieces, all in gold. Across the top, it read, 'To My Wonderful Husband on Father's Day.' Inside, he found the traditional Hallmark greeting, but as always, it was the personal note from Abbey that touched him.

'My Knight in Shining Armor' is how she addressed him, a play on the theme of the card. He was their hero, she wrote, hers and their daughters'. He was their rock, their anchor in the storm. He was everything and more and she felt blessed to call him the father of her children. Abbey never missed an opportunity to remind Jed what a terrific dad he was, but this time, she had outdone herself.

"Oh, Abbey."

Jed slipped the card back into the envelope and before he got too caught up in the heartfelt message, she handed him his present - a gold and silver two-toned watch with a brown leather band. On the back, she had the date inscribed just below his initials. He put it back in the box and looked up at her, his eyes revealing his gratitude before he said a word.

"I love it."

"Love it love it or the kind of 'love it' you're going to tell the kids tomorrow when they give you a JFK paper doll they made out of construction paper?"

He laughed as he grabbed her hips and pulled her into his arms. "The real kind of love it. And I'll prove to you just how much."

"Uh uh." Abbey escaped from his hold as she shoved him toward the bed. "Tonight is all about you."

She lifted the shirt he was wearing over his head, pushed him onto his back, raised his hips, and pulled his pants down his legs and off his body. She was there on top of him, straddling him in that sexy blue camisole, her breasts straining against the material as if they were aching to tear through, and yet, he couldn't peel his stare from her pretty green eyes. There was so much emotion in those eyes. So much love.

Jed rested his head on the pillow and gave in to the erotic pleasure as Abbey pressed her lips to his. She lavished a dozen kisses on his face, then paved a trail down his neck and his chest, over his stomach, and toward his groin. She touched him. It was soft and tender. Her hands cupped him first and before he lost his breath, he moaned at the sensation of her mouth enveloping him.

* * *

The next morning, Ellie heard Zoey all the way upstairs. Liz shushed her, but the excited six-year-old ran around the kitchen, volunteering to help with the cooking while searching for an envelope. It was a Father's Day tradition to serve Dad breakfast in bed and along with a tray full of his favorite foods, the usual card and custom-made mug featuring a recent photograph of all three girls, came a letter from each of his daughters.

Ellie sealed hers in a white envelope and carried it with her to the main floor. She hesitated before she entered the kitchen. She and her mother hadn't exactly resolved their argument the night before and she assumed her father was mad at her too. She had no idea how Liz was feeling, but it was going to be an awkward day regardless, and what she was about to do would make things even worse.

It was five weeks earlier that Jed and Abbey sat the girls down and told them that the Union Leader was planning a feature story on Father's Day. With the presidential election looming nationally, a gubernatorial race in New Hampshire, one of the state's senate seats and both congressional seats up for grabs, the paper requested an interview with each candidate and a family photo to supplement the article. Every other candidate had agreed, but the Bartlets hesitated.

Jed didn't like the idea of giving reporters access to the girls. Liz, who couldn't wait to be a surrogate during his first congressional race and was excited to intern on his campaign this time, wouldn't be a problem, he figured. But Zoey was so young and Ellie hated the spotlight. He talked it over with Abbey and they called a family meeting so they could all make a decision together. Everyone got a vote and in the end, it was unanimous - there would be no questions for the girls, but a photograph of the five of them was harmless and could even be fun.

Ellie regretted her vote now. She regretted everything about politics and it wasn't just because she was shy. It also wasn't because she didn't believe in her father; it was that she believed in him so much that she felt he was above the bullying and intimidation that came with holding public office. He was too good for it, she thought. He was a man of principle, a man who stood by his convictions and always did the right thing simply because it WAS the right thing. The more she learned about the corruption, the power-hungry greed, and now, the threats that sullied the profession of public service, the more she wished he could return to his old life as a college professor and part-time state legislator.

She was shocked when Doug revealed the death threat at dinner, and no matter how much her parents tried to reassure her, she couldn't fight the anxiety that churned in her stomach. She didn't want Jed caught up in this, she didn't want him to have to choose between his conscience and his life, and most of all, she didn't want to pose for a picture that would be plastered next to an article that glorified politics without a word about the anonymous phantoms that target honorable men like her father so they can manipulate them with death threats.

She wanted to back out of the photo shoot and she decided to run it by Liz.

"Hi Ellie!" Zoey called out when she saw her standing there, waiting to announce her presence.

"Hey Zo." Ellie approached Liz at the stove. "What can I do?"

"Keep an eye on the potatoes. I'm going to slice some fruit."

Zoey handed Ellie the letter she'd written for Jed. "Will you read this for me? Lizzie helped me write it."

Ellie smiled as she gazed over the large letters spaced sporadically on the unlined paper. "This is really good, Zo. It's sweet."

"You think he'll like it?"

"What's not to like? Why don't you go get an envelope for it? I have an extra one in my room."

"Okay!" Zoey took the letter, folded it up again, and skipped out of the kitchen.

"Don't wake Mom and Dad," Liz reminded her.

Ellie waited until their little sister was well on her way. Then, "Lizzie?"

"Yeah?"

"Were you mad? That they didn't tell us about the threat, I mean?"

Liz looked up from the fruit salad she was making. "I was at first, but I get it now. They just didn't want us to worry."

"But now I'm more worried because I don't know what else they're not telling us. What if someone tries something? Would they tell us?"

"They'll tell us anything we need to know. I know it's scary, El, but it's not unheard of for a politician to get a death threat. Don't you remember when they arrested that guy who threatened Governor Newman when he announced he was running for president?"

"Yeah and I also remember that someone shot President Reagan five years ago. I don't know why anyone would want to be a politician in the first place."

"Because it's an important job. Instead of complaining about the world, Dad's trying to change it." She continued cutting the stems off the strawberries. "Look, I know it's hard to understand if you don't get politics, but this is what Dad wants. We have to support him."

"Why?"

"What do you mean why? Because it's what we do. He always supports us."

That gave Ellie pause. Liz was right, the Bartlets were a family that supported one another. Jed would be the first to admit that. No matter what was happening with the outside world, he'd always been there for his girls, even when he didn't agree with them. Ellie remembered her dilemma just a few months earlier, when she chose to pass on the offer of skipping a grade and starting junior high in the middle of the year. Jed didn't like that decision, but he eventually accepted it and stood by her. How could she now break his heart by refusing to stand by him during his second run for congress?

"Do you think the Father's Day story and picture in the paper will help him win the election?"

"I doubt it'll help him win since all the candidates are doing it, but if he doesn't do it, he'll be the only one and people might wonder." Liz got suspicious. "Why? Are you backing out?"

"I don't know."

"What do you mean? Ellie, you already agreed."

"I know!"

Liz backtracked, not wanting to guilt her sister into it. "All right. It's your decision. Mom and Dad won't make you do anything you don't want to do."

"I know." Ellie went on quietly, "I want him to win because he wants it, but I hate politics."

"If it makes you feel any better, sometimes I hate politics too."

"You do?"

"Yeah." Liz wiped her hands on a dish towel as she approached the younger girl. "I hate that he's in Washington so much. And sometimes, like when we found out about the death threat, it scares me. He puts himself out there and who knows who he's going to piss off."

"That's exactly how I feel!" Ellie felt such relief at hearing Liz share her concerns. It gave her validation, made her think it was okay to have these doubts.

"But he's good at it and he loves it. And he does have police protection, at least for now."

"That's true."

"I think he's safe."

"Really?"

"Yeah. They wouldn't lie to us about that."

"So you're not worried?"

"No. If you want my advice, El, I think you should do the photo shoot. It doesn't mean that you're supporting politics overall. It just means that you're supporting one politician - Dad."

Ellie nodded. Liz had a point. Her feelings about politics aside, she loved her father and that's what mattered. Never more than on this day. "I do wanna support Dad."

"I thought you would."

As if on cue, Zoey interrupted them. "Ellliiiieeee, guess what I found in your room!"

"It better be just an envelope."

"Nuh uh. I found Lizzie's white bow that you said you lost."

"I did lose it!" Ellie attempted to grab it from her, but Zoey yanked it back. "Where did you find it?"

"Behind your dresser."

"What were you doing behind my dresser?"

"Looking to see what's there. Can I have it?"

"Zoey, go put that bow in my room," Liz ordered.

"Okay, Lizzie." Zoey agreed surprisingly easily. "I wonder what I'll find in your room."

* * *

A summer breeze blew through the window in the master bedroom. Jed and Abbey were tangled around each other with their sheets twisted and rumbled beside them. Abbey had promised him a wild night and if the satisfied grin on Jed's face was any indication, she had certainly delivered. He opened his eyes and found that he was lying on his back on his side of the bed, his head still pinned between Abbey's knees. Once he was oriented, he slowly lifted her legs to move them from around his neck. He looked down toward his feet, where her head was. She'd fallen asleep that way, too exhausted from her last explosive climax to even flip herself over.

He sat up and when she stirred, he ran his fingers over her nude form. "Promise me another night like that soon. I can't wait a whole year."

Turning over onto her back, Abbey let out a sleepy laugh. Neither of them were deprived in the bedroom, but last night was a flashback to their newlywed days when they could go for hours, in a variety of positions, without stopping. "I promise, as long as you give me time to recover first."

"Don't take too long." Jed rose to his feet and gathered his clothes off the floor. He set them on the bed, then picked up her camisole. "I assume you want something more than this for when the girls come in?"

Abbey nodded. "Hand me my hairbrush and my sweats from that top drawer please."

"You, Dr. Bartlet, are a chameleon," he said as he retrieved the brush and sweats. "They'll have no idea what went on in this room."

"That's the plan, assuming of course, they couldn't hear us."

"We were quiet...weren't we?"

She gave him a coy little grin while brushing her auburn locks.

"As quiet as we could have been, considering how amazing it was." The back of her hand pressed to her sweat-stained face, she added, "I thought my heart was going to stop a couple of times."

Jed had a twinkle in his eye at that remark. "If it had, I'd have done CPR on you. You would have been ready to go again in no time!"

"Yeah, right," Abbey snickered. "We're definitely not in our 20s anymore."

"Nah, it's even better than it was in our 20s!" Dressed now, he unlocked and opened the door to poke his head out into the hall. "How long before they come up?"

"Could be hours. Remember Mother's Day?"

"Yeah, but there are no smoke detectors going off this time. Should we go down there?"

"No, don't spoil it for them!" Abbey pulled the covers back. "Come over here and pretend to be asleep."

At her suggestion, Jed crawled back into bed beside her, surprised when she took off to the bathroom. "Where are you going?"

"I want to clean up a little and splash some water on my face."

"You're fine. We'll shower before we eat."

"Together, no doubt."

"That a problem?"

"Not at all."

The pitter-patter of feet echoed from the stairs.

"I hear footsteps."

"They could just be looking for something upstairs."

"Nah, it's too loud for that. It's all three of them. Listen."

Abbey dashed out of the bathroom and jumped into bed. "Lie down and pretend you're asleep." She pulled the comforter up around her. "Jed?"

"Hmm?"

"Get your hand away from there."

He saw the smile that lit up her face and grumbled half-heartedly, "Spoilsport."

The door swung open.

"HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!"

Zoey jubilantly ran toward her parents with presents in her hands. "We got you stuff, Daddy!"

"So I see." Jed sat up.

Liz carried a tray of scrambled eggs with fresh mint on the side, golden-brown potatoes, bacon, sausage, buttered toast, and a chilled bowl of his favorite fruits - stemless strawberries, kiwi slices, and purple grapes. She set it down in front of him as Ellie placed a steamy mug of coffee and a cold glass of juice on top.

"Happy Father's Day," they said again as they both gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"This looks fabulous. Thank you."

The best part of Father's Day wasn't the breakfast or the presents. For Jed, it was the letters his daughters had written. He read all three and just like every year, he handed them to Abbey to file away for him as a keepsake, fearing that if he put them away himself, he'd be more likely to lose them.

As soon the letters were done, Zoey shoved a gift in front of him. "Open the presents now, Daddy!"

"Okay, here we go." Delighted by her childlike enthusiasm, Jed ripped through the packaging and held up a pair of bright orange toe socks. They resembled gloves, knitted so that each toe was wrapped individually. "Wow, Zoey. I don't think I have a pair of these."

"They're gloves for your feet! Aren't they neat?"

"They are indeed." He pushed down the covers to try them on, but his big toe wouldn't fit in its slot. "Uh oh."

"What?" Zoey frowned.

"No, it's okay. They're just a little tight, but I'm sure I'll be able to wear them soon. Come here." He gave her a big kiss. "Thank you! I love them!"

Next was Ellie's gift. Jed tore the wrapping paper to find a canvas bag.

"It's a golf bag," Ellie told him.

"It's great!"

"I know you don't golf, but the reason is that you don't have a golf bag."

"Nor do I have clubs."

"I couldn't afford the clubs, but I'm going to buy you one for every birthday and every holiday until you have them all."

Jed laughed. "So, in about 20 years, I'll be able to take up golf?"

"Or...you could give me a raise in my allowance and it'll be 10 years?"

"That was smooth," Abbey interjected, impressed with how their middle daughter worked that in.

"There's more." Ellie handed Jed another box to unwrap.

"Golf balls." Jed examined them. "Fluorescent golf balls."

"That's so when you hit the ball and it goes flying, you can find it easily."

"You hear that?" He glanced over Ellie's head to address Abbey teasingly. "Not only is she trying to get me involved in a new sport, but she assumes I'm going to be bad at it."

"Dad..." Ellie giggled as he grabbed her arm and tugged so he could give her a kiss.

"I love them, sweetheart. Thank you. First game, you and me. We'll set up makeshift holes in the backyard and play this afternoon."

"What will we putt with?"

"How about your hockey stick?"

Definitely untraditional, but Ellie loved the idea. "Okay, let's do it! But..."

"But what?"

"Can it be after the people from the paper leave? Lizzie promised to do my hair before the photo shoot."

After last night, Jed worried that Ellie would back out of the photo shoot. He was pleased to learn she was looking forward to it. "Deal!"

"You know," Abbey began, a devilish glint in her eye. "I bet the paper would like an action shot of Dad putting the ball."

"Putting a fluorescent ball into a fake hole with a hockey stick?"

"What better way to prove you're not the vanilla candidate?"

"That would be funny, Dad," Ellie agreed. "I'll play with you when they're here if you want."

"Let's think this over before we jump into something that makes us look foolish just to tickle your mom's funny bone." He narrowed his eyes and gave his wife a phony glare. "You troublemaker, you."

Abbey conceded. "Guilty."

Liz's present was next. Jed opened it, unable to hide his curious reaction to what it was - a grooming kit.

"It's got a razor with the blades, scissors, nail clippers, everything you need," Liz explained. "Plus, it's travel sized, so you can shuttle it back and forth to Washington and always look your best."

"The implication being, of course, that I don't look my best now. Is this a hint?"

"You're plenty handsome - for a dad - but you're running for office and this is perfect for touch ups before interviews and photographs. Like today for the family photo for the paper."

"What do I need to do today?"

"Your brows could use some tweezing."

"I don't tweeze my brows."

"No kidding. Sculpted brows could really make your eyes pop in the picture."

"Who are you, Orville Redenbacher? I don't want my eyes to pop."

"It'll look good!"

Jed had no doubt that she could make him look his best. Like Abbey, Liz had an eye for style and he didn't mind being her 'model' if it made her happy, but he wasn't going to do it without razzing her for a while first.

"So let's recap," he said. "I've got gloves for my feet, I've got a grooming kit for my unkempt brows, and I've got an empty golf bag, fluorescent golf balls, and a promise that I will be golfing without shame by the new millennium. Does that about cover it?"

"And you've got the mug," Ellie reminded him.

"And the card and letters," Liz added. "Which is a lot more than some fathers get."

Using a loving tone, he replied, "I've also got the three of you, which is a lot more than any other father has. Thank you."

He opened his arms to embrace all his daughters.

"Okay, okay, enough with the schmaltz!" Liz pulled away so she could open the grooming kit and get at the tweezers. "Let's get to work on those brows..."

"Get away from me with that thing!" Jed shoved her hand out of the way. "OW!"

"I didn't even touch you!"

"You were thinking about it!"

"Just relax."

"Lizzie, you're my daughter and I love you, but I'm not above pushing you off this bed."

"Am I going to have to ask Zoey to hold you down?"

"I'll do it, Lizzie!" Zoey was freakishly strong for her age.

Cornered, Jed pleaded with Abbey. "Abigail, do something."

"If you give me a minute, I'll get the popcorn."

"TRAITOR!"

While they wrestled, Abbey retrieved the camera for her own photo to remember the day.

TBC


	9. Chapter 9

Series: Snapshots of the Past

Story: The Candidate's Daughter

Chapter 9

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Previously: Ellie struggled with her feelings about politics after finding out that Jed had received a death threat; the girls surprised Jed with Father's Day gifts and Abbey gave him a gift of her own; Jed intervened when he saw a disturbing side to his brother Jack (Chapter 21 of The Nobel Laureate) and days later, Liz witnessed the same (Chapter 32 of The Nobel Laureate)

Summary: When Liz begins her summer internship at her dad's campaign, she and her Uncle Jack have an obstacle to overcome; Abbey welcomes a new group of interns on the first day of her plan to overhaul the residency program

AN: For new readers who may not know, Jed's brother Jonathan goes by the nickname Jack in this series (long story; just change it to Jonathan if it bugs you that it's Jack)

* * *

July 1986

July 1st was an important day for two members of the Bartlet family. While Abbey looked forward to welcoming the new batch of surgical interns, Elizabeth prepared to begin her own internship at Jed's campaign office. It was no surprise to anyone who knew the outgoing teenager that she'd want to learn her father's business. She was a Bartlet, smart and well-read, a born leader who not only took a stand on issues most of her peers had never even heard of, but had the knowledge and talent to do so intelligently.

Only two things bothered Liz about her summer internship - one, she'd have to start out in the finance office working with her Uncle Jack, someone she wasn't exactly close to, and two, campaign days began early. She was reminded of this when she snapped her alarm clock off at five o'clock in the morning and crawled out of bed to take a shower.

Abbey greeted her as they passed each other in the hallway. "Good morning."

"No one talk to me until 7 a.m.," she grumbled.

"Does that mean I can't wish you luck today?" Abbey chuckled on her way downstairs toward Jed, who had beat her to the main floor. "Lizzie is officially awake and moving around."

"Is she grumpy?"

"The sun's not up yet. What do you think?"

Husband and wife strutted across the house to the kitchen.

"When did you tell Mrs. Wilburforce to be here?" Jed asked, making a beeline for the coffee pot. Early mornings were hard on him too.

"I said six." Abbey grabbed a grapefruit and gathered her belongings. "I have to go or I'm going to be late. Remind Mrs. Wilburforce that Zoey has day camp and Ellie has softball practice in the morning and clarinet ensemble in the afternoon."

"Yup, I got it."

She gave him a quick kiss on her way out of the kitchen. "Have a good day."

He left his coffee brewing and rushed after her. "Hey, don't you dare run off without giving me a chance to tell you I'll be thinking of you this morning. It's the big day, right? You're breaking in the new surgery interns?"

"Yeah." She took a deep breath at the thought.

"You'll be great. New hours, new shifts. Before long, all the residency programs at the hospital are going to follow your lead."

"That's the plan. We'll see if it actually happens."

"It will." He leaned in and gave her a kiss of his own. "Go change the world."

* * *

Jed and Liz took one car to his campaign headquarters on Elm Street. She wanted to follow him there, but he persuaded her that sharing a ride would be fun. And for him, it was. Ever since she showed a glimmer of interest, Jed had looked forward to teaching Liz what public service was all about. She was the daughter most inquisitive about his work and most impressed with his commitment to others, He tried his best not to get his hopes up, but it would have been a lie to say that he didn't wonder at times if she'd decide to one day follow in his footsteps.

He wouldn't push her, he promised. Her career pursuits were her choice and he and Abbey wouldn't pressure her toward one thing or another. But interning at his office was all Liz's idea and when she presented it to them, Jed couldn't have been happier. He agreed to help her learn everything he knew about politics and campaigning - with the help of his staff.

"But why finance? It's not like I'm ever going to be a finance analyst or something."

"Lesson number one, Lizzie, you can't get a campaign off the ground without a finance committee. What if someday you decide to run for office or you want to head up someone else's campaign?"

"I'll hire finance people, just like you did."

"Yes, but you're forgetting one very important detail."

"What?"

"I'm an economist, which means I at least understand the number crunching that goes on in the finance office. You, my dear, avoid math like the plague."

"I do not."

"Excuse me? Are you not the same young woman who chose to take 'the Philosophy of Calculus' instead of the real deal her senior year of high school?"

"It was a great class!"

"Yeah, and now that you've explored the 'philosophy' of numbers, do you feel more comfortable with them?"

"No."

"Then a few weeks in finance is just what you need!"

"So this is my punishment for hating math." It was a statement, not a question.

"All interns rotate through all the departments, Lizzie."

"Amy's interning at your Washington office this summer. She said they've got her doing only legislative stuff because that's what she likes."

"That's the Washington office. Here, under my supervision, interns rotate through all the departments." He glanced over at her. "When you came to me and asked if you could intern this summer, you said you wanted me to treat you like everyone else. Is that still what you want?"

"Yeah." Liz was firm about that. No special favors, no special treatment.

"Then, just like everyone else, you'll start in finance."

They pulled into the parking lot. It was cramped with a lot of cars and few spaces. Most of the vehicles had out-of-state license plates because, Jed explained, political operatives were nomads who traveled all over the country during campaign season to work for candidates in their own party. The majority of his staff had moved to New Hampshire from somewhere else, though he requested his campaign manager hire a few shining stars from Dartmouth for entry level jobs.

"It's 6:30 in the morning. Why are there so many people here already?"

"Lesson number two, campaigns require long hours. When you run one, you try to get there before the candidate."

"So if I don't arrive with you, I have to arrive before you?" Liz made a mental note to only work with candidates who like to sleep in from now on.

"That's how it works!"

"There isn't enough coffee in the world."

"You'll be fine."

The pair got out of the car and entered the double doors to the main lobby, where Mrs. Landingham rattled off a few messages for Jed and welcomed Liz with an egg and cheese bagel and a 'Bartlet for Congress' mug filled to the brim with ice-cold orange juice. They then navigated the corridor past the field office and the communications bullpen to the rear of the building where the finance team was already hard at work on the phones.

Liz overheard them throwing out figures, discussing FEC regulations, and soliciting donations. A wave of anxiety hit her. "Dad, I don't know about this. I think I'd be much more useful answering phones or helping out in the press office."

"No, you'll be good at this." Jed wrapped an arm around her, turning her so that she was standing beside him instead of facing him. "You'll learn all of this and more. If I didn't think you could do it, I wouldn't put you here."

"You have more faith in me than I do."

"Look Lizzie, if at any time you feel like I'm giving you too much to do too soon, you can tell me, but I want you to try it first. I know it can be overwhelming. The trick is to ease yourself into it. You'll get used to it that way. And if you don't, we'll talk about doing something else instead."

Jed had full confidence in his daughter. She woke up that morning a teenager and transformed herself into a professional in a black and white pantsuit that made her blend in with the rest of his staff. She had the brainpower to work with them and once she learned the skills she'd need to survive the chaotic environment of a campaign, Jed had no doubt she'd make a nice addition to the team.

His brother, Jack, would help her. As finance director, Jack's job was to supervise Liz and guide her through the first couple of weeks of her internship. Jed signaled for Jack when they reached his office, then looked on proudly as Jack showed Liz around and started her on her first task.

* * *

Internship in medicine meant something entirely different than it did in other fields. In politics, an intern was usually a college student or, like Lizzie, someone about to start college. In the hospital, an intern was a doctor who had just graduated from medical school and was beginning post-graduate training. Internship was the first year of residency, needed to becoming a fully licensed physician.

No one understood the struggles and demands of intern year better than Abbey Bartlet. She recalled Match Day during the last few months of med school and the joy she felt when she opened her envelope to learn that she was going to be doing her residency in general surgery at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, just down the road from where Jed taught Economics at the main campus of the university. It was perfect, she thought. Two months later, she graduated from Harvard and went from fourth-year medical student to M.D. and on July 1st, 1975, she started internship as a newly minted physician.

She remembered the first time anyone called her 'doctor' and how good it felt to know that although she wasn't fully licensed yet, she had passed the hurdles of medical school and two sets of national boards, and was well on her way to achieving her dream of becoming a surgeon. As she arrived at the hospital's surgical wing on that July morning in 1986, she wanted to pass along that feeling to the seven new interns who filed in to begin this portion of their training. They'd learn how grueling intern year could be by the end of the day, they'd learn how incompetent and useless they would feel on the wards, how even medical school couldn't prepare them for some of the things they were going to see and do in the O.R., they'd learn the stresses of making life-and-death decisions on the spot, and that the consequences of those decisions could sometimes haunt them forever.

But before they got smacked with a dose of that reality, she wanted to remind them that they'd already completed part of their journey, and all it took to do that was one magic word.

She stood in front of them and said, "Welcome, Doctors."

* * *

At Bartlet for Congress campaign headquarters, Jack was worried. He had sent Liz to retrieve a list of campaign donors from the volunteer office. An hour passed and she never returned. It was easy to see that she didn't enjoy working in finance, but he was afraid it wasn't just finance she hated; it was him. Although he'd always loved his niece, they were never particularly close. During her childhood, he attributed that to the fact that he rarely visited and didn't know her that well. He and Jed had drifted apart when Jed began college and things became worse when their mother died. They saw each other at holidays, but their interactions as a family were few and far between. In 1980, Jed and Abbey brought Zoey home from the hospital and Jed reached out to Jack by asking him to be her godfather, a gesture that was supposed to thaw their relationship.

But it didn't.

Two years later, John Bartlet died and his death changed everything. A few months after they buried him, Jed was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics and he invited Jack to accompany him to Sweden. That decision led the two brothers down a path that ended with them revisiting haunting memories they'd buried since they were little boys, memories of their abusive upbringing and the challenges they faced together and alone. They had never talked about it and they probably wouldn't have then either if Jed hadn't realized that Jack was struggling to regain control over his troubled relationship with his rambunctious 10-year-old son, Brad.

Jack had been a patient father, but when John died, something snapped inside of him. It was a trigger of some sort. He began to relive his childhood and he found himself less able to deal with conflict, especially if it involved Brad.

It was Thanksgiving 1982 at the farm in Manchester, just days before the family left for Sweden. Jack remembered it like it was yesterday. Brad had spilled a plate of hot turkey and gravy on Ellie after the two kids squabbled. Jack had been so furious that he dragged his sobbing son to the other room to discipline him. Brad was frightened and Jed saw it. He recognized it. There was panic in the little boy's eyes and it wasn't the kind of panic Jed was used to seeing in the eyes of his girls when they were about to get in trouble. This was different. More severe. More grim. It was the kind of panic that chilled him as a child, the kind he and Jack felt whenever they faced the wrath of their own father. It was a terrified panic. A helpless one. Jack was enraged and, Jed feared, he was about to channel that anger into punishing Brad. That's when Jed stepped up and confronted his brother, putting himself between father and son.

Brad didn't get the spanking he was in for that night thanks to Jed's interference, but a few days later, the whole family boarded a plane for the Nobel Laureate festivities in Stockholm and while there, Brad angered Jack once again. This time, Jed wasn't around. But Elizabeth was. She was only 14 years old then. Jack remembered how she looked at him when he lost his temper and grabbed Brad by his shirt. He remembered how her eyes, twinkling with innocence just moments earlier, dulled when the confrontation got out of hand and Brad fell down. She was alarmed. Confused. Scared. Physical aggression wasn't something she was used to. Jack found out later that she knew of her grandfather's abuse and he suspected that watching him react the way he did with Brad reminded her of John. Liz ran out of the hotel room that night and ever since then, she'd been extremely guarded around him.

With Jed's help and emotional support, Jack sought family counseling and anger management classes when they got back from Sweden. He turned his relationship with Brad around and vowed to never again lay a hand on his son in anger. If Brad deserved a spanking, he let his wife Kellie handle it, knowing that she wouldn't lash out and hurt him. Still, he lived with the guilt. The situation was calm at home these days, but Jack struggled with the knowledge that for a brief period in time four years earlier, he had turned into his father. He hadn't yet forgiven himself for having been so hard on Brad and after spending the morning trying to work with Liz, it was plain to see that she hadn't either.

He combed the halls in search of her and found her talking to Betty, the volunteer coordinator.

"Liz?" he called. "Ready to get back to work?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," Liz replied. "Betty was showing me the database of canvassers and introducing me to everyone. I guess we lost track of time."

"It's okay."

"I've got the list of last month's donors."

Jack noticed that she was having a good time with Betty and the volunteers who'd showed up to stuff envelopes that day. She was certainly much happier than she had been with him. He didn't want to spoil it for her. "Listen, if you want to hang out here for a little while, that's fine with me."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I have stuff I have to do anyway and I'll probably get it done faster on my own. But hey, how about I take you to lunch later?" He didn't want her eating alone on her first day.

"Thanks..." she hesitated a second. "But Doug's picking me up for lunch."

"Oh."

"I didn't think..."

"It's fine. You need to come see me when you and Doug get back, though, so I can get you started on a project."

He didn't give her a chance to respond, thinking that she might make some excuse to bail. Instead, he returned to his office wondering if he should talk to Jed about re-assigning Liz, both for her sake and for his own.

* * *

"Mr. Williams is a 34-year-old male who presented to the ER overnight with substernal chest pain. No jaw pain or arm pain. Slight nausea. He's been in the ER with the same symptoms three times since January. Physical exam findings include left carotid bruit and the EKG shows a prolonged QT segment. CK and Troponin I levels are normal."

Abbey watched one of her interns nervously recite the information he'd gathered during pre-rounds. "Your diagnosis?"

"Um, I think...I mean, it might be...ischemic heart disease? Maybe." He waited for her to demand a firm answer like most attendings would have, but Abbey moved on.

"Treatment plan?" She pulled out her stethoscope to check the patient's bruit herself.

"PCTA," the intern said.

Abbey listened carefully to the left carotid artery and when she was done, her eyes glossed over the newspaper folded over the bed railing. Jed's picture was on it with an article about his silence on the Seabrook power plant.

She cast it out of her mind and replied to the intern, "Not so fast." She looked at her patient. "Mr. Williams, what medications are you currently taking?"

"Damn, I forgot!" The intern shuffled his papers. "It's right here! Dr. Jones is his PCP and he's had him on beta blockers and calcium channel blockers since April! I don't see dosage!"

Abbey approached her flustered student and moved him to the corner of the room. "Calm down right now."

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have cursed."

"You're not here because you know what you're doing. You're here to learn. You're going to make mistakes, which is why I'm here with you. So relax. This isn't the hard part."

"I don't want to miss anything."

"That's good, but you have to calm down because the more nervous you are, the more nervous the patient is and, to be frank, the more nervous you're making me, and that's not good for any of us."

"Sorry."

She gave him a smile of reassurance to put him at ease, then returned to examine her patient.

* * *

Jack had a tough time concentrating that afternoon. He was reviewing Jed's upcoming fundraisers and plotting out strategies to get them through the primary and into the general election with money already in the war chest, but he couldn't help glancing at the clock every now and then. Liz hadn't returned yet and he wasn't about to chase after her. He was debating giving her a lecture about professionalism when he heard her knock at his door.

"Hi," she said.

"It's three o'clock."

"The field guys wanted to show me the neighborhoods we're targeting this week. I probably should have stopped by to tell you first."

"That would have been nice," Jack agreed. "You know, Lizzie, if you don't want to work in this office, just say so."

"I did say so. I told my dad that I'm not interested in the finance part of campaigning."

"And what did he say?"

"That it was important and that he wanted me to open my mind to it. He said all interns start in this office, so here I am."

"No, you're not. You spent the whole day everywhere but here, so I'm forced to ask, is it finance you're avoiding...or me?"

"What?"

"Let's not dance around this. If we do, it's going to be an awfully long summer."

"Dance around what?"

"The last time you and I were alone together, there was an incident with Brad. I haven't forgotten that. I know you haven't either. We've only talked at family gatherings since then and needless to say, that night in Sweden has never come up."

"There's no reason for it to."

"I think there is. Now that we're here, just the two of us, I understand why you'd be timid around me. I get that."

"Then why are we having this conversation?"

"Because your dad wants me to teach you what I know and I don't see a way to do that unless you cooperate with me.

"Does Dad really want me to learn the campaign from the ground up or is he just trying to get us to be close because he senses something's wrong?"

"I don't know. Probably a little bit of both. But the real question is, do you want to be the one to tell him we can't do it?"

"No."

"Then I propose we try to make this work."

"I don't want to talk about what happened before. I don't like thinking about it."

"We won't talk about it. I just want to say that I'm not the same man I was four years ago. That was never who I was. It was a temporary lapse in character, something that happened that I couldn't explain at the time. I've got things under control now and if you'll give me a chance, I'll prove it to you."

Liz felt a pang of guilt. She had been avoiding him for exactly the reason he suggested. "I don't mean to be like that. I know you got help for whatever was going on."

"I did. And you have a right to be concerned - I don't want to diminish your feelings - all I'm asking is that you to get to know me again, maybe better than you did the first time."

She paused for several minutes, much longer than Jack was comfortable with. But when she finally found her voice, she said, "Okay."

Jack heaved a sigh of relief at that.

"Okay." He allowed a moment to pass before he picked up a large stack of papers. "So, the day's almost shot. Do you want to learn the basics of what I do and we'll start you on a project of your own tomorrow?"

"I guess so."

Finance was going to bore her to tears, Liz thought, but she had to do it and not just for her dad; for her uncle too. Despite her confusion about his blow-up in Sweden and the apprehension she felt toward him afterwards, she loved him and like Jack, she wanted a fresh start. So, she shrugged her shoulders and took her place at his side to listen to him outline and explain his role in the campaign.

TBC


	10. Chapter 10

Series: Snapshots of the Past

Story: The Candidate's Daughter

Chapter 10

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Previously: When Liz began her summer internship at her father's campaign, her Uncle Jack tried to reassure her; Abbey welcomed a new group of interns to the hospital's surgical residency program

Summary: Fourth of July celebrations begin on a high note and end on a lower one

Author's Note: According to articles I found, political candidates in New Hampshire are featured in July 4th parades around the state and campaign at receptions and events throughout the entire day, but I think the Jed we got to know on the show would have wanted some family time on that day as well, so that's how I wrote him. Just my take.

* * *

July 4th, 1986

It was no surprise to most people that the Fourth of July was one of Jed's favorite days of the year. His family history practically demanded it. Named for his ancestor Josiah Bartlett who served as the New Hampshire delegate to the Continental Congress and signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, 1776, Jed was used to talking about his roots, as he did that morning in 1986 at the breakfast he was invited to attend in Wolfeboro.

He took the podium for an Independence Day speech, some photos for the paper, and an interview with two television stations who sent cameramen for a quick soundbyte. Then, it was off to Merrimack for a meet-and-greet reception, and finally, Manchester, where he, his Democratic opponent, and all three Republican congressional candidates were slated to march together in the annual July 4th parade down Elm Street.

Jed parked his car, ran down the parade route, and stopped at the fifth division staging area where Ellie was preparing for the step-off with her friends in the local community band. She'd played the clarinet in the sixth grade band and didn't want to give it up when school let out, so Abbey enrolled her in the Southern New Hampshire Junior Band so she could continue playing over the summer with kids her own age from all over the region. This was their first parade as a group and Ellie's first parade as a musician, which was why Jed predicted she'd be a bundle of nerves.

He snuck up behind her and gently tugged one of her golden blond curls to get her attention. "Nervous?"

Ellie nodded. "I hope I don't squeak."

"Don't even think about it. You've been practicing too long to squeak. You're gonna knock their socks off!"

"Right now, I just wanna get through it."

"And you will. I'll see you at the end." Jed gave her a high-five and then strutted happily to where the second division was lining up to take his own place for the step-off.

Halfway down the parade route, just as Abbey, Lizzie, and Zoey were growing impatient, they heard the distant echo of applause and music. A few minutes later, they watched the Grand Marshall march past them. On his heels, Manchester's mayor waved to the crowd as he walked by. Behind him was the first of four Manchester high school marching bands, playing John Philip Sousa's Washington Post March. The color guard fell into step behind them with red, white, and blue flags and metallic poms-poms. An elaborate Independence Day float by the Chamber of Commerce was next, then a white convertible carrying Miss Manchester, followed by the Red Stars, a popular baton twirling team whose glittery red and silver leotards caught Zoey's eye.

Several more floats went by before they saw Jed making his way down. Abbey watched her husband shake as many hands as he could, the anxiety in the pit of her stomach eased by knowing that he had bodyguards right there beside him. Since he and a few of his colleagues had received death threats, officers were assigned to flank them, and to accommodate the extra security measure, the candidates had all bucked tradition and chose to walk side-by-side instead of riding in convertibles spread out along the route.

From his vantage point, Jed had no trouble spotting his wife standing behind the barricade and trying to keep Zoey from ducking under it to run toward him. Abbey stood out among the crowd in her plum spaghetti-strapped sundress and matching wide-brim hat. Lizzie, like her mom, also wore a sundress, though hers was a pale yellow. Zoey looked more patriotic in a red tank and blue and white shorts. Her hair was in pigtails and her lips were rosy thanks to the strawberry slushie Abbey had bought her from a roving vendor. Though he was still a few feet away, Jed smiled at them between the random questions he was fielding from the spectators on the sidelines.

"Congressman, when are you going to Seabrook?" someone shouted out to him.

"Next week, and I'm looking forward to seeing for myself what's going on down there," Jed told him. He hoped the man wouldn't press him for his opinion on the plant, knowing he'd have to dodge it if he did.

"What do you think about nuclear power?"

So much for that.

Another man interrupted, to Jed's relief. "Do you support the President's tax reform?"

"It's not just the President's. It's bipartisan and was sponsored by many of my colleagues in the House. It's a good bill, despite what you've read in the papers."

"Does that mean you're going to raise my taxes?" That was Lizzie, ribbing her father as he approached.

"You don't pay taxes, smartass." Jed signaled to one of the officers, then pointed to Liz. "This one here. Keep an eye on her. She's a moocher."

"Dad!"

"I could have you arrested with a blink of my eye."

Zoey caught his attention then, leaning up against the barricade and reaching out to hold his hand. "Daddy, can I walk with you?"

Jed smiled again. "I don't think so, sweetheart. I'm sorry."

Abbey wrapped her arms loosely around her daughter's frame from behind. "Zoey, we have to wait right here. Ellie's coming up. You want to see her, don't you?"

"Yeah, but I wanna walk with Daddy too."

"We'll meet Daddy at the park afterwards."

"I'll see you soon, kiddo, I promise." Jed tweaked Zoey's nose and winked at Abbey before he marched on with the rest of the parade.

As he moved forward, he scanned the faces of all the strangers pushing against the barricades to shake his hand. He wondered who they were. Were they ordinary voters eager to meet the candidates? Were they constituents who just wanted to ask a question or air a specific concern? Or were they hard-working residents who simply took pride in Independence Day festivities and extended their hand to him as a sign of respect? Yes, he thought, that was the answer. Most of them were here for the parade, not for the politics. There were families, not much different than his, who came out every year for this parade, kids whose parents had to explain who he was and what he did, there were babies in strollers and older men and women leaning against walkers or sitting in wheelchairs and waiting to hear the bands and see the dancers, there were teenagers wearing goofy hats, college coeds spraying string confetti, and people his own age laughing and having fun as they studied all the floats. Still, he wondered who else was hiding in the crowd. He locked eyes with many of the people he saw and every time he did, he wondered for a moment if the person who threatened his life was staring back at him.

Those suspicious thoughts made for a long walk to the parade's end at Veterans Park where the party was just beginning. Families filtered in through the entrance gate with coolers and picnic baskets and the candidates began mingling. All except one. Jed greeted his aide, Brooke, at the park, then made a hasty exit and ran back down the parade route to see Ellie.

He got to Abbey just in time to watch a majorette dance team complete their routine and Ellie's band come into view. The shy blonde was in the middle of the second row playing her heart out on Stars and Stripes Forever, a look of intense concentration marking her features. It was only when she finished the last strain that she heard Zoey calling her name and realized that she'd reached her family. She turned her head and gave them a subtle wave to let them know she was having a good time as she marched on.

* * *

After hiking the short distance to the park to pick up Ellie, Jed finally conceded to Brooke's prodding. He and Abbey chatted up voters together while Liz hit the ice cream stand and Zoey and Ellie raced to get their faces painted at the body art table. Security lingered in the background, but there was nothing conspicuous about their presence. Most people didn't even notice that they were patrolling the park, including Jed. He was too wrapped up in the gorgeous summer day, enjoying the sound of kids humming Yankee Doodle into their kazoos, the sight of a man in full Uncle Sam costume roaming around on stilts and handing out balloons, and the cotton candy vendors setting up shop next to the sound techs who were testing the mics for a midday concert.

Dressed in sneakers, a pair of khakis, and a light blue short-sleeved shirt that Abbey assured him would look good in candid photographs should the Union Leader choose to publish one of the candidates, he spent time working the crowd and throwing out Independence Day trivia to everyone he met. 'Jefferson lives and all that jazz for the hundredth time,' Liz teased him when she overheard him telling the story over and over again. He accused her of mocking his love of history, but he didn't really care. July 4th was a special day and nothing could dampen his spirits.

* * *

"Matches, charcoal, lighter fluid..."

The only thing better than sitting around a blanket at the park with his wife and daughters enjoying the picnic lunch Abbey had packed, was his annual barbecue dinner at the farm, Jed thought as he collected everything he'd need from the garage. He always had a house full on the Fourth and that's the way he liked it. This year, it wasn't just family and close friends who were welcome. He had closed down his campaign office and since most of his staff was from out of town, away from their own relatives, he asked them all over to the farm as well.

Abbey invited some colleagues from the hospital and to Jed's dismay, Liz invited Doug.

"Dad, when Doug gets here, can you not quiz him about Fourth of July trivia?" she asked when Jed passed through the kitchen on his way outside.

"Why?"

"Because."

"Because why?" Jed persisted.

"He's not good with that stuff, okay?" Liz followed him out.

"Not good with the Fourth of July?"

"With history, in general. He wasn't very good at it in school and if you ask him, he's going to want to impress you and..."

"He's never wanted to impress me before."

"Yes, he has. You've just never given him a chance."

"Whoa, hold on there..."

"I'm just saying, can you not ask him anything about the Fourth? He'll feel like an idiot if you do." There was an awkward pause. "Please? For me?"

"Fine. I'll limit my conversations with him to hot dogs and burgers. Is that better?"

To say he was annoyed was an understatement. Tossing out trivia about the holiday was a Bartlet tradition. Jed didn't care if someone didn't have the right answers; he accepted that not everyone had an interest in storing useless trivia in their brain and he never held it against them. It was just a game. A silly game that he liked to play. But now he had to watch himself or he'd provoke Doug's insecurities?

He waited until Liz disappeared back into the house before he grumbled again about what it was she saw in him.

* * *

There were ponds on the Bartlet property, but they were too far from the main house for Jed and Abbey to keep an eye on the girls when they wanted to go for a swim without their parents. So, when Jed inherited the farm, he had an in-ground pool put in out back so that he and Abbey could sit on the porch and watch them or check on them through the window. It was a good investment, they all came to realize since it was the pool that enticed everyone during summer barbecues.

The younger kids splashed around in the shallow end of the water with Zoey. Further down, just before the imaginary line that separated them from the deep end, Ellie brought out the inflatable volleyball net and teamed up with Millie's daughter, Chloe, to challenge Liz and Doug to a game. An easy win for the older couple most assumed, but Chloe and Ellie held their own with overhanded serves that Liz and Doug struggled to smack down.

Still, the younger team fumbled.

"FOUL!" Liz shouted after she caught Ellie bumping the ball more than three times before hitting it over.

"It was going to hit me in the eye if I didn't bump it!"

"Rules are rules. We get a point, which means we win!"

"That's not fair, Lizzie!" The disgruntled preteen looked to her father on the patio for intervention. "Dad?"

"I didn't see it, I don't know anything." Jed was at the grill where he and his father-in-law were manning the hot dogs and hamburgers.

"Fine." Ellie addressed her sister for a compromise. "Best two out of three?"

"I don't think so." Liz swam to the ladder to climb out of the pool. "I need a break."

Doug followed her out of the water and over to the chaise lounge on the deck. Liz stretched out on her stomach and he kneeled down beside her to dry off her bikini-clad back with a towel so he could rub a layer of sunscreen on her. Jed couldn't help but notice that Doug then climbed up beside her and threw his leg over her hip until he realized they were being watched. He was about to say something, but he stole a glance inside and saw Abbey working on a mint cucumber salad at the kitchen counter with her sister, Kate.

Abbey would handle it better, he thought, as he excused himself from the grill and pushed open the back door to the house to make his entrance.

"How is it that no matter where we are or what we're doing, you always manage to look like a million bucks?"

Abbey got that flirty glint in her eye at the sound of his voice. She was wearing a flowing white maxi dress over her ruby red swimsuit. She'd left her hair in loose curls framing her face, just the way he liked it.

"When you're at the side of your handsome devil of a husband, you go that extra mile just to keep up with him."

"Keep talking like that and I'm gonna throw you over my shoulder and take you upstairs."

"If we didn't have a patio full of guests, I'd encourage you to."

Though she was charmed by the relationship between her sister and brother-in-law, Kate took that as her cue to leave them alone. "Okay, things are getting way too hot in here for me."

"You can stay. If we want to rip each others clothes off, we'll do it in the pantry." Little comfort. Abbey laughed at how quickly Kate dashed out. "Way to clear the room, babe."

"I wish we could take advantage of it."

"What makes you think we can't?"

Jed's expression became more serious. "I want to talk to you about something."

"Uh oh. Who made you crazy?"

"Liz and Doug. I'm finding it more and more difficult to bite my tongue. This evening has the potential to turn into a disaster."

"What happened?"

"I didn't say anything when it took him a full half hour to rub sunscreen on her back before they got into the pool and I didn't say anything when he had to do it again when they got out. But now they're snuggling on a chaise together and it's driving me crazy."

"Are they keeping their limbs to themselves?"

"What do you think?" he replied with disgust. "I'm not trying to be a prude here, but there's something to be said for having a little class in public. We've been married for 19 years and never once have you and I cuddled up like that at your parents' home."

"Did you say anything?"

"I didn't want to embarrass her in front of everyone by calling attention to it."

"I'll talk to her."

"Listen..." Jed spoke more quietly. "You don't think they're...you know?"

"No," Abbey was quick to answer. She had faith in her daughter. "Liz and I had this talk a long time ago. She's set high standards for herself. She's not going to jump into a sexual relationship with anyone on a whim. She and Doug are just flirting."

"Yeah, you're right. I just wish they'd flirt more discretely."

As if sensing she was being talked about, Liz interrupted.

"Mom, is there any more iced tea?"

"There's a pitcher in the fridge."

"I'll get it," Jed volunteered. "Liz, why don't you stay and help your mom?"

He grabbed the iced tea and left the two women alone.

"What can I do?"

"Chop up this cucumber please." Abbey handed her a bowl and a knife and then retrieved a container of yogurt and some mint leaves. "So, um..." She hesitated. "Are there enough chairs outside?"

"I think so."

"Then maybe it's better if you and Doug don't share one."

"What, did Dad tell you we were making out or something?"

"No, he didn't say anything about making out. What he said was that you guys were getting pretty cozy."

"Doug was just lying beside me. At one point, he threw his leg over mine. It was just an accident. He was trying to get comfortable, that's all. It was no big deal."

"I'm sure it was perfectly innocent, but there are a lot of people here and a lot of them have kids. It may not come across as perfectly innocent to them."

Liz conceded that point. "Yeah, okay. We'll be more careful."

"Thank you." Abbey could have ended it there, but there was something about the way Liz was acting that made her curious. "Liz, you know if there's anything you ever want to talk about, we can. You can tell me anything. Anything at all."

"Where did that come from?"

"I just want you to know that if your relationship with Doug becomes more serious, I'm here if you want to talk about it."

A red flush colored Liz's cheeks. Did Abbey know they'd been sleeping together? Did she guess? Liz wasn't ready to tell her yet. She wasn't ready to tell anyone. Defensive and firm, she replied out of instinct, "Nothing's going on, Mom. We're just dating, that's it."

"Okay. But I'm saying, if there ever is..."

"I know I can talk to you, but there's nothing to talk about." Her nerves were rising, afraid that Abbey could see through her. Her mother always knew when she was lying. She had to leave before she figured it out this time. "I'm going to see if Doug needs anything."

Abbey watched her hustle out of the kitchen and she wondered if Liz was just embarrassed by the question or if she really was hiding something. She thought about it for a few minutes and decided it had to be the former. Elizabeth wouldn't lie about this, not when she knew she didn't have to. Like she'd told Jed, their daughter had set high standards for herself and she wasn't going to compromise them for someone she'd only been dating a short time. That wasn't their Lizzie. It wasn't her at all.

* * *

Dinner was over and everyone scattered around the farm before it was time to head to the riverfront for the city's fireworks display. Liz and Doug sat in the field, in the shade of a towering oak tree, where they could be alone to talk. They had gone for a walk in the orchard earlier and when they returned, they stopped at the barn to see the horses. That was when Doug made his move. They were alone, he'd said. No one would know. It was tempting. Everything since the first night they'd slept together had been tempting. Liz began kissing him, but as difficult as it was, she stopped herself. Abbey had promised Zoey a ride on her pony and they could have walked in at any time. She knew how furious her parents would be if they caught her and Doug in the act. Today of all days, with the whole family around, she didn't want to take the chance. Besides, there was something unsettling about having sex with her boyfriend in the barn. In the past, she'd suspected her parents of making love there and she'd feel creepy doing it too.

She led Doug out of the barn and instead, they watched from the field as Jack taught his son, Brad, the finer points of baseball.

"So why don't you get along with your uncle?" Doug asked, intrigued that Jack was the only person at the party who sparked silence from Liz.

"It's not that I don't get along with him. It's that I don't know him very well."

"Why don't you know him?"

"I dunno. I guess we don't have much in common." Liz stared at Jack pitching the ball. Just a few days ago, he'd told her that he'd gotten help and that the anger she saw in him four years earlier had vanished. She wanted to believe him, but she was skeptical - until now. His interactions with Brad all day had been so loving, so genuine. It was like he was her old Uncle Jack, the same man he was before those few months in 1982 when John Bartlet's death sent him on a tailspin.

Doug understood that she wasn't comfortable talking about Jack, so he changed the subject. "What about your grandfather?"

"My Grandpa James?" Liz's eyes lit up. "He's great!"

"What does he do for a living?"

"He's a banker."

"Yeah?"

She nodded. "For the past 40 years. He and my grandma got married as soon as he returned from World War II. They had my mom a year later and that's when he started working at a small bank in Vermont, the only one in town. By the time he was 30, he was promoted to VP. Now he's VP at one of the largest banks in Boston."

"What about your grandmother? Did she have some fancy career too?"

"No, she stayed home with the kids and took care of the house."

"That's what my mom did too."

"How was that?"

"What?"

"Your mom staying home?"

"It was okay, I guess. I never knew anything different." He paused. "How was it with your mom working?"

Liz thought for a moment. "There's no right answer to that question."

"What do you mean?"

"My mom does something incredible - she intervenes between life and death. I'd have to be a bitch to complain about that, wouldn't I?"

"Do you complain?"

"I used to. I wish I could take back some of the bratty things I said to her in the past."

"I doubt it was that bad."

"No? I once told her that she'd choose her career over all of us, that it was more important to her than we were."

"Ouch!"

"Yeah, I was pretty rotten. I know I hurt her; I just didn't know how to tell her that it wasn't her job I didn't like. It was that I missed her, you know? It's like she was always gone when she was in residency. Twice a week, she'd even spend the whole night at the hospital. And then she'd come home and sleep only to go back and start the schedule all over again. That's how it was for years. Even now, it might go back to that with this new residency program she's trying to get off the ground. My dad had to ask her not to take call today, otherwise she probably wouldn't even be here."

"That's pretty rough."

"It is," Liz agreed. "But she's a good mom. I haven't told her that in a long time, but she is."

"She looks like a good mom...from what I've seen, I mean. I bet you'll take after her someday."

"Me?" She laughed. "No way. I don't want kids."

"You don't?"

"For what I want to do, the kind of career I want to have, I don't think kids would be a good fit."

"What do you want to do?"

"I haven't decided for sure yet, but definitely something in public policy. I love what my dad does. It's so corny, but he really makes a difference in people's lives and he does it in a way that I think I could too, with the education and the experience."

"You want to run for office?"

"I don't know, maybe someday. And now you're probably thinking that my dad is a congressman and he's got kids. But it's different. He never set out to be a politician. He wanted to be a tenured professor when he and my mom got married. When he decided to run for office, they made it work, but there were so many sacrifices with my mom here and him in DC, both working so much and trying to take care of me and my sisters. The life they lead now wasn't planned. It just happened. I can't imagine planning it out, the way I'm doing, and still wanting kids. It would just be too much."

"So you don't want kids, but you want a career like your dad? I could get on-board with that." He backpedaled his way out of it when she stared at him. "I mean...I'm not saying you and I will get married or something...I just mean..."

"It's okay." Liz chuckled. "I know what you mean. You don't want kids?"

Doug shook his head. "Having kids has never been important to me."

Liz opened her mouth to reply, but Ellie and Chloe approached before she could.

"Chloe and I think you guys should give us a pool volleyball re-match." Ellie plopped down on the grass beside her sister.

"Not likely," Liz told her.

"If you don't, we'll have nothing to do."

"Tough."

"What that means is we'll be bored and we'll have to FIND something to do," Chloe warned.

"Uh huh," Ellie agreed. "And that something might be telling Dad that *someone* brought fireworks into the house and left them out where Zoey and Tommy could find them."

"What?" Liz sat straight up.

"They thought they were sparklers," Chloe explained. "If we had walked in a minute later, they might have blown up the whole neighborhood."

"Zoey knows she's not supposed to play with sparklers or fireworks of any kind."

Ellie went on, "Oh, Mom and Dad will ground her for that, but the question is will it be before or after they read you and Doug the riot act for bringing the fireworks into the house in the first place?"

"We didn't do this." Liz felt Doug elbow her. "YOU did this? Doug, fireworks are illegal in Manchester."

"I bought them last night in Durham."

"You're not supposed to even have them here. The city's display is the only one that's allowed."

"Just because they're illegal doesn't mean that people don't have them. Come on, Liz."

"So you brought them with you and then you left them out in the open?"

"I don't have kids running around my place! I didn't even think about it!"

"Anyway, back to the volleyball game..." Chloe smiled.

Liz ignored her and glared at her little sister instead as she stood up to head to the house. "Last time I checked, Mom and Dad weren't big on blackmail either."

* * *

"ZOEY!" Liz's reprimand was sharp. She stormed in through the back door and went straight to the living room to find her sister with Millie's six-year-old son, Tommy. "What were you doing?"

"I didn't do anything!" Zoey shouted back.

"That's not what I heard."

"It was Tommy's idea!"

"And you went along with it. Matches or lighters?"

"Matches," she remorsefully admitted.

"Where are they?"

"Ellie took them."

Hearing the ruckus from right outside the door, Jed stepped inside.

"GOOD!" Liz said, unaware her father was right behind her. "What were you thinking? If Mom and Dad had caught you, you would have been in so much trouble, you have no idea!"

"Caught her doing what?" Jed asked.

He had left the door wide open when he came in and Abbey soon followed him. Ellie and Chloe knew this couldn't possibly end well. They ducked out before they were noticed. Tommy ran out too, which left Liz, Doug, Zoey, and a half-opened box of fireworks sitting on the coffee table.

"What's going on?" Abbey directed that question to her eldest daughter.

"Nothing." Liz worried that Jed would blame Doug for the whole thing.

"Zoey?" Jed prodded her, but didn't get a response. "I could ask Ellie, you know."

Ellie had a tougher time lying to her parents.

"We were just playing," Zoey answered quietly. "We thought they were sparklers, like we had last year."

Jed and Abbey's gaze followed their youngest daughters' to the fireworks on the table.

"What did you do?"

"I told you, nothing."

Liz finally elaborated for her parents. "They found matches. Ellie caught them before they had a chance to blow up the house."

Feeling outnumbered, Zoey yelled at her sister, "We weren't going to blow up the house! We thought they were sparklers and TOMMY wanted to light them in the yard, not me!"

"Why didn't you come get us?" Abbey angrily questioned.

"I dunno."

"You don't know?" Jed hated that response. "Then go to your room and think about it. By the time we get up there, I want a better answer to that question."

"But I wanna go riding."

"You're not going riding tonight, I can promise you that."

"But Mommy said I could..."

"And now I'm saying you can't," Abbey replied so strongly that it left no room for further discussion. "Go to your room right now."

Zoey started crying as she stomped her way upstairs.

When she was gone, Jed looked Doug squarely in the eye as if he knew, without being told, that he was the one who brought the fireworks. "Whose are these?"

"Mine." Doug didn't beat around the bush.

"You brought fireworks into the house without telling us?" Abbey wasn't the least bit amused. "There are children running around all over this place. They could have been hurt."

"You're right, I should have left them in my car."

"Or not brought them at all."

"Is this really a big deal?"

"Explosives on my coffee table? No, why do you ask?" Jed was irritated. "Fireworks are illegal in Manchester."

Doug laughed. "No, seriously."

"Something funny about that?"

"Sorry, I didn't think you were being serious."

"Why wouldn't I be serious? In case you've forgotten, my job is to make laws, not break them."

"Real laws, yeah. But fireworks on the Fourth of July? Isn't that just part of the holiday? Everyone does it."

"Not here they don't." Abbey had seen too many patients injured in firework accidents to feel comfortable with her and Jed setting them off at the farm, and she was especially angry that anyone else would bring them over without telling them.

Doug took in their unrelenting expressions. He backtracked. "Okay. I didn't mean to get everyone all worked up. I just thought it would be fun to see a light show."

"The city puts on a professional fireworks display at the river," Jed informed him. "That's where we go."

Doug sighed. "Well, now that I know, I'll take these to the car."

Liz watched him go. He felt defeated. Sad. She sympathized with him, knew he didn't mean any harm, that he was just trying to have some fun. When she heard the door close behind him, she turned to address her parents.

"He feels like such a loser every time he comes here."

"It wasn't our intention to make him feel that way," Abbey reasoned with her. "But he brought it on himself. You don't bring fireworks into someone's house without telling them, especially when you're in a place where they're illegal."

"Maybe he didn't know Manchester doesn't allow them. He bought them in Durham, at a party at UNH, where they're legal."

"Because a college town is exactly where you'd want fireworks to be legal," Jed threw back. "What the hell is wrong with this state?"

"You're going to make jokes about this?" Liz was too wound up to appreciate his humor tonight.

"What makes you think I was joking?"

"Forget it. I'm gonna go talk to him. I doubt he'll even want to come back after what happened."

"What a pity it would be if he doesn't."

"Jed." Abbey nudged her husband.

"What? It's how I feel." Jed was already peeved about the patio encounter. This only made things worse.

"I care about him, Dad! I invited him because I wanted to spend this day with him and instead of partying with his frat brothers in Durham, he came here to be with me!"

"And he brought an arsenal with him."

Abbey intervened before things spiraled out of control. "Liz, you can't be surprised that we're upset about this."

"Upset, I get. But the tone you guys used wasn't just upset. It was like you thought he had malicious intentions or something. Well, he didn't. He didn't mean for Zoey to find them. He didn't want her or anyone else to get hurt. He's just not used to having to hide things from little kids."

"He could have avoided this if he'd just told us that he had them when he came over."

"He didn't know it was a big deal. At his house, this is what they do. This is how they celebrate Independence Day. That's why he brought them here. He thought he was doing a good thing."

"Then why didn't he make a stronger case for that? Why did he leave you alone to defend him?"

"He probably thought that if he didn't get out of here, Dad was gonna make a few calls to have him arrested."

"Lizzie, if I had the power to put him in jail, don't you think I would have by now?" Jed used a lighter tone this time to calm her down, but it made no difference.

"I'm not laughing, Dad," Liz told him with a straight face.

"Yeah, but you want to." Since she wasn't going to break into a smile, Jed used a different tactic, "Look, we weren't trying to scare him out of here."

"Not on purpose maybe."

"What does that mean?"

"You hate him and it shows. If it was anyone else who brought those fireworks here, you would have understood that it was just a mistake and you wouldn't have been so hard on them. You flipped out because it was Doug."

"That's ridiculous. We would have been furious with anyone who did what he did and if you don't believe that, it's because you're the one who's being biased here."

"All I know is you guys used to be a lot more laid back. I remember us setting off fireworks in Hanover. I even remember the first year we moved to Manchester we did it. Now, just the subject of it with Doug is poison. When did we become this straight-laced family that gets bent out of shape that someone who meant well brought fireworks to a Fourth of July party? I mean, of all things, a Fourth of July party? When did it become unheard of to have fireworks?"

"You know the answer to that," Abbey replied.

"Zoey's not a baby anymore. She's six years old. She knows better."

"Yes, she does and trust me when I tell you we will deal with her. But putting the Zoey incident aside, there's something else to consider."

It took a minute for it to register with Liz. "Dad running for congress."

"That's right. He's held to a higher standard and that means that the rest of us are too. Even if no one got hurt, what would happen if a fire broke out, tipping off the press that we had illegal fireworks here?"

That got Jed going. "I'll tell you what would happen. The headline wouldn't be 'Dumbass Doug Westin Screwed Up...' No, it would be MY mug they'd plaster on the news - 'and at the home of Congressman Bartlet tonight...' "

"So it's all about the politics?"

"It's not 'all about the politics.' There's the safety issue as well, like we already said. But you're naive if you don't think politics is a part of everything that goes on these next few months. It's an election year, Lizzie. Everything I do is fodder for the press. That includes setting off fireworks. Whether it's right or wrong is irrelevant; that's just the way it is. If Doug wants to hang out here, if he wants to be your boyfriend, he's going to have to accept that. And if he doesn't, he can't come over here anymore."

Liz stood there for several seconds going over everything that just happened in her mind. Then, without another word to Jed and Abbey, she went after Doug. She knew Jed was right. Whether he meant to or not, Doug did a foolish thing. But she also knew how humiliated he felt now and she didn't want to pile on. She wanted to comfort him first and later, get through to him and make him understand why her parents reacted the way they did.

As the door shut behind her, Jed complained to Abbey. "I hate him, I hate him, I hate him, I hate him."

"Yes, but how much do you hate him?"

"This isn't funny, Abbey. No one is that dimwitted. So I can only assume has no respect for the law, no respect for us, or for our home."

"Or, maybe he really is that dimwitted."

"Is that what you tell yourself to justify Liz dating him?"

"Yes, but I don't think I'm wrong. I'm afraid it might be true." Abbey continued before Jed had an opportunity to interrupt. "Think about it, Jed. Has he ever been in this house without sticking his foot in his mouth? I don't believe that he comes here looking for trouble. I just think he doesn't have the social skills necessary to escape it."

"Even if you are right, how did our daughter ever fall for someone like that?"

"I ask myself that a lot."

"And?"

"I don't know. That's all I've come up with."

"She's changed since she started dating him."

"Yeah, she has a little."

"Suddenly, he's the one who's always right. And you and I - the two people who've raised her, who've clothed her and fed her, the people who've always loved her and comforted her and supported her - it's like we're the devil and he's her savior. I don't like the qualities he brings out in her."

"She's still the same girl she's always been deep down and she still loves and appreciates her family, you know that. She'll come to her senses eventually and she'll break up with Doug."

"Yeah, but will it be before or after he destroys her relationship with us?"

TBC


	11. Chapter 11

Series: Snapshots of the Past

Story: The Candidate's Daughter

Chapter 11

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Previously: The Bartlets enjoyed some family fun on the 4th of July, until Jed and Abbey discovered that Doug had brought illegal fireworks into the house

Summary: Jed feels like he's being stalked by a suspicious protester during his tour of Seabrook; Liz makes a big mistake at the campaign

* * *

The controversy over the Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant had been brewing for some time in New Hampshire. The groundbreaking was in 1976 and since then, there had been scores of public protests. Some were peaceful - like the one in 1978 when 10,000 people participated in a day-long protest without an incident - but others turned violent, requiring police to use attack dogs and tear gas to keep demonstrators under control.

Tempers flared for years around the state, and in 1986 with the Chernobyl explosion only a few months old, one reactor was ready to operate and residents on both sides of the issue were on-edge. Jed understood that. Though he recognized the dangers of having a plant in New Hampshire, he intentionally chose not to come out in opposition of it until he was able to visit and tour the facility himself. Only then would he take a public stand, he said, despite pressure from campaign aides and his primary opponent. It was that pragmatic side of him that believed it was his duty, as a representative, to tune out the hype and make a decision based solely on the facts of an issue. He was being cautious and that caution earned him a death threat.

On that hot July morning as he traveled along the seacoast to the town of Seabrook, the threat weighed heavily on his mind. Police protection or not, it rattled him and for once, he feared it showed. He kept his eyes on the side mirror, quietly watching the state police cruiser behind him.

"Congressman?" his campaign director, Mark, called from the driver's seat. No response. "Congressman?"

"Yeah, sorry." Jed snapped back to reality. He stared out at the narrow road in front of them. "This is the evacuation route?"

"One of them. The other is Route 1."

"And there are no plans to widen either roadway or come up with an alternate route."

"Hence the problem," Mark replied. "Governor Dukakis is filing a postponement with the NRC, citing the evacuation risk for both New Hampshire and Massachusetts."

"Did he submit a plan?"

"He won't. He's being defiant about the whole thing and threatening to take it all the way to federal court if he has to."

"Might be his best bet." Jed held up a cigarette. "Do you mind?"

"I don't, but Dr. Bartlet will." It was common knowledge in the campaign that Abbey hated Jed's smoking.

"My wife doesn't keep tabs on every move I make." He rolled down the window and pulled out his lighter. "It's a done deal, isn't it? Seabrook. No matter what I say - no matter what any of us say, it's over. We're in the testing phase now."

"That's a defeatist attitude. It's not like you."

"Maybe it is. I had years to come out against Seabrook. I never said a word."

"It never mattered before."

"It always mattered. They got the construction permit back in '76. It mattered then. Even before ground-breaking, it mattered. People rallied around the economic boom to the state. They drowned out the protesters in those early days."

"Is that why you didn't say anything?"

"I didn't say anything because I didn't have an alternative. Coal? Oil? Everyone's tired of that line, including me. We destroy the environment, endanger lives, or we're at the mercy of our enemies. I didn't have a better plan back then and I still don't."

"Yet in spite of that, you're willing to oppose it now." Or was he? It occurred to Mark that Jed could very well keep his silence. "You are, aren't you?"

"We're frighteningly close to the beach," Jed said as they neared the power plant. "If you listen carefully, you can hear children laughing and jumping into the surf. An accident on a hot summer day like today, when tens of thousands of people are swimming and sunbathing, could be a horrific disaster. There's no way to evacuate all those people in the time necessary. We'd be putting all their lives at risk."

"You're going to oppose it." It wasn't a question this time.

"However imperfect our other options are, they're better than this." He took a drag on the cigarette. "Yeah, I'm going to oppose it. I just wish I had done it earlier."

Jed had a point, Mark acknowledged when he parked the car. Only two miles from Hampton Beach and just north of the Massachusetts border, Seabrook Station sat at the edge of a marsh. The two men walked the path toward the front gate where police officers stood guard among two dozen protesters who held signs and chanted their objections with a unified voice, louder and louder as Jed and Mark passed through.

Jed scanned the faces of the demonstrators, hesitating briefly on one particular man who didn't appear to belong. It was in his eyes, that intense look that sent a chill up Jed's spine. They were all passionate, but this man looked downright threatening. He wore a baseball cap and a casual get-up of jeans and a T-shirt. He was the only one with a short rain jacket, though there wasn't a cloud in the sky. There was something else different about him too. Something more forceful, more aggressive. He zeroed in on Jed. Their eyes locked and although Jed kept moving, the man's stare never left him.

* * *

Elizabeth Bartlet hated going to the doctor. When she was a baby, she always cried when she had to see one. As a toddler, she became vulnerable and quiet in her parents' arms, unable to hide her fear of being there. As a preteen, she whined and complained when it was time for her annual physical. And as a teenager, the only doctor's appointments that were made without argument were those required for school activities, like basketball or cheerleading.

Now that she was 18, it was all up to her. She no longer needed a pediatrician, but she knew that she needed a doctor. She researched the area to find one who didn't have privileges at any of the hospitals Abbey did, worried that if they were friends or colleagues, her doctor might let it slip that she was a patient. Her mother was a liberal thinker, someone who taught a sex education class at the hospital because she realized that preaching about abstinence wouldn't solve the problem of STDs and teen pregnancy. She was an advocate of responsibility and above all else, good health.

Still, Liz wasn't ready to tell her this.

It was one thing for Abbey to counsel others about the consequences of sex and the steps they could take to keep themselves safe. She was playing her role as a physician without judgment or prejudice. But when she stripped off the white coat and came home at night, she was still Abbey Bartlet, a devout Catholic who, Liz believed, thought that teenagers who were sexually active were playing with fire. She had emphasized waiting to her eldest daughter in an effort to make Liz understand how special it would be when she was older and in the arms of the man she would be with forever.

As Liz sat in the waiting room that day, staring at a wall clock and counting down the minutes until she was called in to see her new doctor, she confirmed in her mind that she was right not to go to Abbey. She couldn't bring herself to look her mom in the eye and admit that she wanted birth control pills.

* * *

"Low-power testing will begin on Unit One shortly. After that, it's just a matter of time."

Jed listened to what he was being told about Seabrook during his tour of the plant, but he had already made up his mind. As he told Mark in the car, he couldn't support it like this, not while knowing how insufficient the evacuation routes were. Dukakis was right, he admitted to himself. It wasn't about the election or about exploiting the widespread fears triggered by the Chernobyl disaster to bag votes with constituents. It was simply a matter of safety, or lack thereof.

"Are there risks associated with the testing itself?" he asked.

"No. I understand that you're concerned and that's to be expected after what happened a few months ago, but you should know that American reactors are different. We have more safety features in place to compensate for mechanical failure or human error. We can learn a lot from Three Mile Island..."

"There were evacuations with Three Mile Island. About 150,000 people left the area."

"Those were voluntary."

"All the same, I'm not confident this area is equipped to handle a mass evacuation should something go wrong."

The questions continued as Jed, Mark, and their tour guide exited through a side door to cross the nature path through the surrounding woodlands. A line of protesters had gathered nearby, most of them different than the ones outside the main gate. Only one face looked familiar - the man in the rain jacket with the steely eyes who Jed had noticed earlier. He had changed his position for some reason. He had left the gate and circled to the side of the building as if he wanted Jed to see him again. Somehow, he knew that Jed wouldn't use the front or rear doors to exit, but rather a side door as an extra security precaution.

How did he know that, Jed wondered, and why would he be following him around? Did he just want the attention? Was he trying to make a statement? The man's eyes bore into him. Jed turned from him, but the man refused to look away. Suddenly, Jed's mind wandered back in time to the Independence Day parade a week earlier. He remembered shaking hands and greeting the crowd while his imagination ran wild with images of the person who sent him the death threat. Was the same thing happening again? Was he overreacting, just like he did at the parade?

Suspicion crept through his better senses and he began to feel the danger around him. He took a breath and tried to ignore it, but when he followed his guide forward, he couldn't help but glance at the man once more. He had moved, Jed noted. He had been at the end of the line of protesters just moments before and now, he was in the middle, still shuffling his way toward the front. He was getting closer and closer, as if he was stalking his prey right there in broad daylight in front of everyone.

"What are you thinking?" Mark realized he didn't have Jed's attention. He looked over at the protesters himself, but couldn't figure out why. "What's wrong?"

Jed gave a subtle, inconspicuous gesture. "That guy in the jacket."

"He must be sweltering. Why would he wear a jacket today of all days?"

"Exactly. But it's more than that. Look at him. What do you see?"

"He looks a little rough around the edges."

"He's been keeping track of us since we got here."

"You think he's dangerous?" Mark nodded to the state trooper behind them.

"I've had my eye on him," the trooper whispered to them.

"So I'm not just being paranoid?" Jed asked.

"No, sir, you're not. I've alerted the other officers. We're all watching him."

* * *

It was another busy day at Bartlet for Congress campaign headquarters. Liz had arrived an hour late because of her doctor's appointment. When she got there, Jack started her on that day's assignment - updating the names and addresses of all the individual financial donors from Jed's '84 campaign. It was a mindless chore, one that required virtually no thought whatsoever. So, when Doug called to check in with her, Liz didn't think twice about taking the call while typing in the information she'd already gathered.

"Did you get it?" he asked.

"Mmm hmm," Liz answered, a slight blush coloring her cheeks as she thought about the prescription in her purse. "I'll stop by the pharmacy on my way home."

"Won't your dad be with you?"

"We took separate cars today. He had to leave early for Seabrook and he probably won't be home until late."

"You wanna come over after work then?"

"Sure, but don't get your hopes up. They won't kick in for a few weeks." She avoided mentioning the birth control pills by name in case of prying ears.

"That's okay. I'll take care of things tonight, if you're game?"

"I'm always game."

Liz continued typing, but she paid little attention to the screen. Distracted by Doug, she punched the keys while reading the roster of donors to her side. It was only when she turned her head that she gasped at what she had done. The screen had gone black and all the information in front of her had disappeared. Years of financial records, gone. Her heart sank. She quickly hung up with Doug and began smacking the keys to undo whatever it was she had just done.

* * *

Back at the plant, Mark's discomfort was growing. The protesters were getting a little more aggressive. Their chants were louder now and they seemed to be closing ranks around the perimeter of the facility. They were arguing their point specifically for Jed, it seemed, and they weren't afraid to tighten the space around him to intimidate him or force him into a confrontation. Mark needed to usher Jed out before the demonstration escalated.

Jed was having similar thoughts. Clouds rolled in and he briefly considered the possibility that the guy in the rain jacket was just a harmless man who had listened to the weather report. But it was too suspicious, he maintained when he saw the man in yet another line of protesters, this time behind the main building. No one else had changed position even once, much less twice. He looked to be mumbling instead of chanting like the others. His body language was more stiff and controlled. And those stares. Behind the unyielding brown eyes aimed directly at Jed was a brooding man deep in concentration.

The state trooper recruited one of the site officers to help him flank Jed on their return to the parking lot. As they rounded a corner that took them out of the gate, a random protester saw an opportunity. She lunged forward toward Jed, screaming at him with a sign in her hand.

"HOW CAN YOU NOT STOP THIS?" she demanded.

The trooper sprang into action to intervene between Jed and the woman, but operating a second ahead, the man in the rain jacket charged the scene. That's when the trooper and the officer both saw it - a gun in the man's pocket.

"FREEZE!" the officer yelled, drawing his own weapon. "Get your hands up!"

Mark jumped in front of Jed as some of the protesters screamed and ducked. Two other officers approached the scene, but the man was already on the ground and his gun was confiscated.

"I'm a licensed P.I.," the man explained. "I have a permit for the gun."

"Why would you bring it to this protest?"

"I was sent to protect the Congressman."

"Yeah, sure you were," the trooper scoffed.

"I'm telling you, I was hired to come in case things got out of hand and you guys needed back-up."

"Hired by whom?" Jed questioned.

The man looked up at him and said, "Your wife."

* * *

"What did you do, hire an assassin to take out anyone who looked at me cross-eyed?"

Abbey thought she was having a good day, until she picked up the phone on the private line in her office. "Don't be so melodramatic."

"Who the hell is this guy you sent to the protest?"

"His name is Greg Brown and he's a legitimate P.I."

"How do you know these sketchy characters?"

"What's your definition of 'sketchy'? He used to work narcotics with the Boston PD. He retired last year."

"A vice cop," Jed sputtered. "And you know him how?"

"He's also a friend of Robert Nolan's. I told Rob that I was worried about you going to Seabrook and he offered to get in touch with Greg."

"I had armed police officers with me, Abbey. We could have had a gunfight on our hands!"

"I didn't tell Greg to take a gun!" Abbey hadn't given him much instruction at all. Her only expectation was for Greg to keep Jed out of harm's way if anything went wrong.

"Well, he did. Do you have any idea what could have happened?" Jed was thankful that his campaign had excluded the media from being there to tape the whole thing.

"Yeah, you could have gotten killed by some stalker posing as a protester. Greg's job was to blend in with the crowd to keep things under control."

"Ask me later what a fantastic job he did blending in. It's almost hard to believe he left vice."

"You know what, Jed, as much as I enjoy being yelled at for loving you, I have rounds. We'll talk about this later."

Abbey hung up the phone and stalked out of her office.

* * *

Meanwhile, Liz tried everything she could think of to retrieve the donor database she accidentally deleted. Her experience with office computers was limited, but she knew enough to escape the 'black screen of death,' search the hard drive, and check the recycle bin. When all that failed, she re-booted the system and ran into the communications office to beg for help from someone who knew more about computers than she did.

A half hour later, she had to face reality. It was useless. The file was gone. Dreading what came next, Liz knocked on Jack's office door to tell him what happened.

"How did it happen?" Jack asked her.

"I don't know. I must have typed something by accident."

"Like what?"

"I don't know."

"How could you not know what you did?"

"I was on the phone," Liz admitted, refusing eye contact with her uncle. She'd never felt more irresponsible. "I'll redo the list. I'll type it all up again."

"You can't."

"Yes, I can. It'll take me two days, max!"

"Liz, the roster I gave you wasn't complete. I only gave you what I thought you could handle."

"There's more? That's okay, I'll take care of it. Where's the rest?"

Jack opened a drawer and pulled out six thick file folders. "Right here."

"All of those?" Her voice held the tone of defeat. There was enough there to keep her busy for two months, not two days.

"It'll take weeks to type all this into the system."

"I'll do it." There was no other choice. It had to be done.

"Are you sure?"

"I'll get it done as soon as I can," she promised as she took the folders and started toward her desk.

"Look, there's a bigger issue here." Jack spoke up before she got away. "I didn't want to say anything before because things are still a little weird between us, but now that it's affecting the campaign, I have to. You shouldn't be on the phone when you're working on something. I don't think your dad would approve of you talking to Doug so much while you're here."

"Everyone takes personal calls now and then."

"Yours aren't now and then. Doug calls here 10 times a day. Besides, no one else is an intern. You're learning, which means you're prone to errors. Serious ones. If you want to avoid them, you need to get your priorities straight. Your projects and assignments come first. You shouldn't be distracted by other things."

Jed's footfalls were so quiet that neither Jack nor Liz heard him come in and sneak up behind them.

"What's going on?" he wanted to know. "What are you distracted by, Liz?"

Jack could have kicked himself for not noticing his brother. He wanted to get through to Liz, but the last thing he wanted to do was get her in hot water with Jed.

"By all the work I'm giving her," he answered immediately. "I was just saying that I'm giving her too many projects to do. Every time I give her a new one, it distracts her from the others."

Liz appreciated his help, but Jed would find out eventually and she didn't want anyone else taking the heat when he did.

"It's okay," she told her uncle, confident that Jed would understand it was just an accident. "Dad, I messed up. I was talking to Doug and I did something, I don't know what. The computer crashed and I lost our individual donor list."

Jed suppressed that impulsive side of his temper, the side that wanted to react to the agitation the mere mention of Doug's name caused. He restrained himself. There was a learning curve and mistakes were common. No one knew that better than he did. There were countless blunders during his first campaign and there were bound to be some this time. What was important to him was that Liz learn from them, fix them, and move on.

But in order for her to do that, he had to have a word with her first.

He checked with Jack to insure they had the original list, then addressed his daughter. "Could I see you for a minute?"

A bit more apprehensive than she was moments earlier, Liz followed him down the hall and to his office. She couldn't read his mood and that concerned her. "It was an accident, Dad."

Jed closed the door behind them. "That's fine. You've been here only a week; you're entitled to screw up a few times."

Liz was relieved to hear that. "Thanks for being cool about it."

"From now on, I don't want you on the phone when you're working." He caught her rolling her eyes at that directive. "What?"

"Uncle Jack said the same thing."

"We agree. Is that a problem?"

"No, it's just..." She sighed. "I can't talk to my boyfriend or any of my friends when I'm here, but I'm here from 6:30 in the morning until eight o'clock at night some days."

"Welcome to a congressional campaign. You knew the hours when you signed up."

"It didn't seem like a big deal at the time."

"And it does now?"

"No, that's not what I'm saying."

"Do you want to be here?" He waited for her reply, but got nothing in response. "Elizabeth, I'm asking. Do you want to be here? Because you can walk out that door right now, no hard feelings."

"Yes, I want to be here. I want to learn all of this."

"Do your job and you will."

"I'm trying," she said, frustrated. It was clear she'd had a rough day.

"I can see that you are," Jed offered. "Listen, I understand it's the summer before college and you have a lot on your mind. You're not getting paid for this and it's easy to want to goof off. I get that. But I need you to understand that if you want to stay, I can't have you half-assing it. Mistakes are costly when it comes to campaigning."

"I know. I'll be more careful," she said. "And I'll stay off the phone."

"Thank you."

"I'm sorry."

"Accepted. Let's move on."

It was still hard for Jed. He wanted to treat her like any other employee, as she had asked, but he couldn't help looking at her and seeing the daughter he'd taught and guided for 18 years. His instinct was to stand over her and walk her through all her responsibilities at the office, to double-check everything she did and help her understand the right way to do it. But he couldn't do that. Time wouldn't allow it and truth be told, neither would Elizabeth. She was trying to earn his trust. She wanted him to have faith in her to get the job done without tutoring her every step of the way. She had the potential, he thought. He owed her the space to spread her wings and learn on her own. He just hoped that in the end, she'd come through.

* * *

Since July was the month a new group of interns began their residency every year, it was always a busy time for Abbey. But this year, it was even worse than usual. Her experiment with the residency program was proving to be more difficult than she imagined and she feared that she was in over her head. That's what she was thinking about that night as she turned off the main road and drove toward the lights that illuminated the farmhouse, gravel cracking under her tires.

She parked and entered the house through a side door they used in the winter. It was close to the kitchen and she could hear laughter coming from the backyard when she went in. She followed it out the back door and onto the porch to see Mrs. Wilburforce watching Ellie and Zoey splash around the pool with their friends.

Zoey was the first to spot her. "Mommy!"

"Hi, sweetheart. Having fun?"

Mrs. Wilburforce stood to greet her. "The girls each wanted to have a friend over. I hope it's okay."

"It's fine," Abbey told her, grateful that her daughters were preoccupied with friends instead of miserable that she hadn't been home all day.

"Mommy, guess what?" Zoey held onto the rim, her wet hair matted against her forehead.

"What?"

"Mrs. Wilburforce took me and Cindy to my riding lesson and now Cindy wants riding lessons too! Her mom wants to talk to you about it!"

"I'll be happy to talk to her anytime, Cindy."

Ellie swam over when Abbey slipped out of her heels and made her way to the edge of the pool. "Mom, can Wendy spend the night?"

"Cindy too?" Zoey pleaded.

"You two aren't hanging out with us all night!"

"We don't want to, dork!"

Abbey was taken aback by her six-year-old. "Zoey, where did you learn that word?"

"What word?"

"You know very well what word. 'Dork.' "

"Ellie called me one this morning."

"Since when is it okay to call each other names?" Both girls shrugged. "Apologize to each other right now."

"Sorry," Zoey said first.

"Me too," Ellie replied.

If only all their squabbles were that easily resolved. "I don't want to hear it again, okay?"

"Okay," Zoey agreed.

Ellie went back to the original question. "Mom?"

Abbey lightened up, remembering the fun of summer sleepovers. "As long as it's okay with their parents, they can spend the night. Why don't you guys come inside and we'll call them?"

"In a few minutes?" Zoey gave her a puppy-dog plea this time. "We're dunking for pennies!"

"Okay, ten more minutes, but after that I want you all in the house." Abbey addressed Mrs. Wilburforce next. "Have they had dinner?"

"Yes Ma'am, two hours ago. I kept a pot of chicken stew warm for you, Mr. Bartlet, and Elizabeth." Mrs. Wilburforce took a step toward the door. "I could come in and..."

"That's okay, I'll get it," Abbey assured her. "Would you like to join us?"

"I appreciate the offer, but I ate with the girls."

The older woman suggested staying to get Zoey and Cindy out of the pool and into dry clothes before leaving for the night. A blessing of an offer, Abbey thought. She was tired and cranky and the last thing she wanted to do was wrestle Zoey out of the water. She thanked their housekeeper and then disappeared into the house.

Barely a minute later, Jed came barreling around the corner toward the kitchen. Like her, he was also tired and cranky. He'd just gotten home and was looking for his wife, not expecting to run into her the way he did. Green eyes met blue and they allowed for a second of awkwardness to pass.

"Hi," he said when it did.

"Hello."

"I don't appreciate being hung up on."

"I don't appreciate being yelled at," she returned. "Where's Liz?"

"She stayed late at the office. And don't change the subject." He stripped off his jacket and flung it over a chair.

"What's the subject? Me trying to keep you safe?"

"You should have told me, Abbey."

Abbey took a beat and then reluctantly acknowledged his point. "You're right."

"This guy could have caused all kinds of trouble..." It sank in, what she'd said. He trailed off and replied the only way he could, "What?"

"I said you're right. I should have told you I sent someone to the plant."

"That's it?"

"What else?"

"You're not going to argue? You're not going to tell me that I was a jackass about the whole thing?" She was being too nonchalant about it. It wasn't like Abbey not to stand her ground.

"No, I'm going to tell you that you're right." She continued, "But you were a jackass about it."

He examined her from an angle, eyes narrow as slits. "What are you doing? Are you softening me up so that you can hammer me later?"

"That sounds a little kinky."

"Abigail."

"Jed, I'm telling you that I was wrong. I'm big enough to admit it. Why is that so shocking?"

"Because it's never happened before."

"Yes it has."

"Not like this."

"Well, it's happening now." She reached into the cupboard to grab two bowls for dinner.

"You went behind my back," he prodded on anyway. "I thought you weren't going to do that again after that argument we had when you asked my staff to include you on the trip."

"I said I wouldn't go to your staff anymore. And I didn't. I did this on my own."

"You're giving me wordplay?"

"You like wordplay." She grinned playfully.

"I think you should know it's not impossible to be mad at you when you get like this."

"No?"

"No," he lied. He had barged into the house ready for a fight, but he had a tough time summoning his anger now that she wasn't fighting back.

"In that case, why don't you reprimand me and I'll just stand here quietly?"

"Do I look like I'm having a good time?"

"Not yet, but that's just because your tie's too tight."

"My tie is not too tight!" He loosened his tie. "I had a speech worked out in my head about how wrong you were. You ruined the whole thing."

"Shame on me for being so reasonable!" She feigned her outrage.

"Yeah."

"How was the tour?"

He wasn't ready to talk about that just yet. "You know, the least you could have done was told me before you hung up on me that you regretted hiring the guy. I could have gotten over it hours ago."

"I don't regret hiring Greg."

"You just said..."

"I said I regret not telling you that I hired him. I never said I regret hiring him."

"Again with the wordplay. Am I going to need a decoder for this conversation?"

"Why would I regret hiring a man to protect you?"

"Because I didn't need protection."

She pushed the bowls aside. "Some maniac is threatening your life, Jed!"

Jed saw the spirited look in her eyes dissolve into a mix of fear and anger. That always happened when they discussed his death threat, but this time, it was so sudden that it jarred him. It was bothering Abbey more than she let on and she wasn't as good as she thought she was at hiding that from him.

"WAS threatening," he corrected her. "They found him."

"They found him?" Abbey lit up at the news. "Who is he?"

"Some guy in Laconia. He's a radical opponent of nuclear power. They traced the letter he'd sent the governor back to his residence and his typewriter, where they found a copy of the letter he sent me. They arrested him about an hour ago."

"You mean...it's over?"

Jed nodded. "He's behind bars, where he'll remain for a very long time."

"And there's no one else? He didn't have an accomplice?"

"No. It was just him and he's been dealt with. There's paperwork, of course. A hearing probably. But he was caught red-handed. He's not getting away with it."

She let out several small breaths with the relief that washed over her. Thrilled beyond measure, she threw her arms around him. "Jed, that's great!"

"I thought you'd like that."

"There are no other threats, right?"

"No. This was the one and only."

"And it's over, finally?"

"Looks that way."

"Why didn't say so the second you came home? You put me through all this just to tell me in the end that it's over?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"Because you shouldn't have hired that guy," he said with a good-natured nudge as he tightened his grip around her.

"Jackass," she muttered, pulling out of the embrace just enough to wipe away the tears of joy that trailed down her cheeks.

Jed kept one arm around her waist as he reached for a tissue on the counter. He began to dab it against her moist lashes, then paused to look at her. She sparkled. In ten seconds flat, she went from stressed and troubled to happy and cheery. It was as if he had literally lifted the burden off her shoulders. That's how he justified telling her. It's why he didn't feel a single pang of guilt when he explained that they caught the man who threatened him - even though it wasn't true.

TBC


	12. Chapter 12

Series: Snapshots of the Past

Story: The Candidate's Daughter

Chapter 12

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Previously: During Jed's visit to Seabrook, he was suspicious of a protestor following him around, only to find out later that he was hired by Abbey to keep an eye on him; Jed told Abbey that the man who threatened him had been arrested; Liz made a campaign error while distracted talking to Doug on the phone

Summary: Jed and Abbey try to find time to plan and celebrate their upcoming anniversary; Liz begins to excel at the campaign; Jed's day goes from bad to worse

* * *

The day began early in the Bartlet house. It was quarter after five and the sun was just starting its rise over Manchester, but Jed and Abbey had already been up for half an hour. With Abbey rushing to make rounds followed by back-to-back surgeries and Jed grappling with a campaign dilemma that had been weighing him down ever since he returned from Seabrook six days earlier, husband and wife dodged each other as they hustled in and out of the bathroom to shower, shave, and groom.

They exchanged morning quips and compared their schedules for that evening. He'd be working later than usual, he told her, thanks to a new 'economic recovery' bill that required his attention. It was a lie, but he had no choice. There was no way to explain that he'd be working late because he had a meeting at the FBI office in Boston without first confessing that he'd intentionally led her astray for the past six days and that the man who sent him a death threat hadn't really been caught, as he'd claimed.

Abbey was trusting and her trust fed Jed's guilt. It wasn't often that he lied to her. When he did, the remorse tore him apart. It was for her own good, he reminded himself as he remembered how concerned she was about him. She was up to her neck in work at the hospital and running herself ragged to get home before the girls went to bed each night. The last thing she needed was the stress of worrying about some phantom who'd targeted him.

Still, he felt guilty and for that reason, he steered the conversation to a happier topic.

"I'm confirming our reservations today."

"Reservations?" she asked from the closet as she thumbed through her wardrobe to pick out a pair of slacks and a blouse for the day.

"At the Berkshires. Our anniversary, remember?"

"Of course I remember our anniversary, but I didn't know we decided on the Berkshires."

"We did. Last month, I said that we should get away for the weekend. The Berkshires was your idea. I called and made the reservations that day."

"Oh."

"Don't say it." Jed recognized the tone she used.

"I don't think I can go for the whole weekend. What if we did an overnight trip?"

"Abbey..."

Abbey quickly chose her outfit and turned to face him before he got angry. "Jed, we had that conversation before the residency revamping at the hospital."

"Come on!"

"You know how busy I am right now."

"When aren't you busy? I'm busy too, you know. I'm running a campaign, but I'm finding the time to squeeze it in because it's our anniversary."

"I know, honey, and I want nothing more than to take three days off and disappear with you to the Berkshires. I just can't right now. July is the busiest month at the hospital."

"Maybe we should have considered that when we set our wedding date." He regretted the snarkiness of that comment. She stared at him without a response and he shrugged as he retrieved a dress shirt from the closet. "I'm disappointed."

Abbey cut him some slack. He had every right to be disappointed. "What if we celebrate here at the farm? Or we could go out, just the two of us? We haven't had a date night in a while."

"It's our 19th wedding anniversary. It's a little bigger than date night, don't you think?" Jed was a sucker for celebrations and he and Abbey needed this time together, alone, without all the responsibilities of their jobs hanging over their heads.

"We'll do the romantic weekend too. What about next month? I'll be able to juggle something then."

"I can't. The primary's coming up. August is going to be a bear."

"We can't do it in September. We promised the girls a weekend trip after the primary and I've got that three-day bioimaging symposium in New York." Abbey dropped her shower wrap and slipped into a pair of ivory bra and panties.

"Which is fine because I'll be tied up campaigning until November."

"November and December will be difficult for me. We'll be down to the bare bones in staff and if I'm going to send tired residents home, I need to be here to cover patients."

Annoyed, Jed bristled at the exchange. "Well, that's that then. See you on our 20th?"

"I'm sorry." She took his hands. "Really, Jed. I wish we could go."

He eased up and said mildly, "I know."

Abbey stared at him again, for a longer moment this time. "This isn't just about our anniversary, is it? Why won't you tell me what's troubling you?"

"Who says it's not about our anniversary?"

"It's not. You've been like this for days."

"Like what?"

"Cranky and short-tempered. You bit Zoey's head off last night when she refused to go to bed. What's going on?"

He released her hands. "I've just got a lot on my mind."

Jed wanted to tell her what had him so irritable. He was struggling with his Seabrook press conference. He planned to come out against the plant, but with the death threat looming in the background, he feared he'd be sending a message of compliance to his harasser and his constituents. He wanted to publicly disclose the threat to snatch the power out of the hands of the person who tried to intimidate and bully him, but resistance from the FBI and his staff had caused him a dilemma he couldn't shake.

Abbey had seen him moping around, sulking. She'd asked him about it before and when he brushed her off, she let it go, assuming it was a campaign problem he wasn't ready to share.

"That's what you said the last time I asked," she reminded him. "I'm asking again, Jed. What is it?"

He could tell her, he thought. She'd be angry that he lied to her, but he'd explain why he did it and she would understand. She'd help him work out his problem, he was sure of it. Still, he hesitated, knowing how much it would upset her. "It's nothing, Abbey. It's a minor obstacle at work. I have to figure it out on my own."

"Okay." Abbey nodded. "You know I'm here if you want to talk it through or bounce ideas around."

He did know that and he loved her for it, but he fought the urge to come clean. Abbey deserved to know the truth and he'd tell her. Just not now, not like this, in the middle of the morning rush when they didn't have time to sit down and talk it out. It would have to wait until later, he decided, but he would tell her.

They continued dressing and afterwards, Jed followed her out of the master bedroom and into the hall, where they saw Liz fly right past them and down the stairs.

"Hi! Bye!" the energetic teen shouted out in passing.

"Hold on a second!" Abbey called after her. "It's 5:15 in the morning. What's the hurry?"

"I have a lot to do at the office." Ever since Liz had taken on the chore of re-entering all the financial records, she'd been putting in even more hours than before.

"Aren't you the same girl who couldn't even get out of bed a few weeks ago at this time?"

"Things change, Mom."

"What about breakfast?"

"I'll grab something on the way." She bolted out the door. "Bye!"

Abbey turned her attention to Jed. "She's working too hard."

"I'm not working her," he replied a bit defensively.

"I know you're not. I can see that she's excited about it."

"She likes campaigning, which is good because when she gets past the kinks, she'll be phenomenal at it."

"Don't..."

"I know, don't push. I'm not. I haven't pressured her at all. I just know what Lizzie can do. She'll be a superstar once she gets Doug out of her system."

* * *

Things had changed dramatically for Elizabeth at campaign headquarters. Her goof with the donor list a week earlier had such an affect on her that she did exactly what Jed and Jack suggested and banned all the distractions that monopolized her attention. She asked Doug not to call her at work anymore and instead, relied on seeing him at the end of the day, when she'd stop by his apartment on her way home. She had become a dedicated and eager intern, so committed to the job she signed up for that she searched for opportunities that would help her develop her skills.

"Uncle Jack?" she knocked on Jack's office door to get his attention.

"Hey, you're here early."

"Lots to do. Here's the call sheet from last night."

"Thanks."

"Can I ask a favor?"

"Sure."

"You're meeting with the rest of the finance team this afternoon, right?"

"Yeah."

"Can I sit in?"

Jack was surprised by the request. "It's all budget stuff. It'll be pretty boring."

"That's okay," Liz insisted.

"It is?"

"I'm learning about campaigning and this is an important part of it. I want to observe, if it's not a problem."

Impressed by her budding interest in finance, he assured her that it wasn't a problem. Just the opposite, he said. He was thrilled to have her sit in on the meeting; he was proud that she wanted to, given how reluctant she was initially to embrace the role of the finance office in Jed's campaign. Jack was confident in Liz's potential and with her turnaround this last week, he looked forward to helping her reach it.

And he wasn't the only one.

Liz had been working so hard that everyone at the campaign took notice - with one exception. Jed was sidetracked dealing with the Seabrook fallout. He had his hands full and had barely been to the finance office in the past few days to see Liz in action. But Liz understood. She didn't need his praise to motivate her; she'd gotten that her whole life. This time, her motivation came from inside herself. She loved what she was doing and she strived to give it her all, even when it came to the department she liked the least.

She was on a roll that day. She returned to her desk and continued plugging away at the donor list she promised to redo. She had lunch with Mrs. Landingham a few hours later and when she got back, it was time for the finance meeting. Just as boring as Jack warned it would be, she acknowledged, but it was something new and she liked being a part of it. More importantly, she liked that Jack trusted her opinion enough to pull her into his office and discuss it with her afterwards. She truly felt like part of the team, as if what she thought mattered.

It was shaping up to be a terrific day for her, until she heard a familiar voice from down the hall. Doug. She had made such a big deal about wanting to concentrate on work that she couldn't believe he'd come down to visit.

She shoved her papers aside and left her desk to see him. "Doug?"

Doug jetted toward her with an application in his hand. "Hey! Guess what?"

"What?"

"I'm volunteering!"

"Where, here?" Liz gave him an ambiguous expression as they walked to the corner of the hall for some privacy.

"Yeah, at the campaign! Isn't it great?"

"I guess it is. I mean, we need all the help we can get. But..."

"But what? I thought you'd be happy."

"It's not that, Doug. It's just...if you think this will give us more time together during the day, I'm afraid it won't. I'm really busy right now and things are going so well. I have to focus on what I'm doing. I don't have much time to socialize while I'm here."

"That's cool. I didn't think you'd magically drop everything. But this way, I get to at least see you during the day, even if we can't hang out. You still get breaks, right?"

She had to admit the idea of him volunteering in the next room appealed to her. She was committed to the campaign, but he was her boyfriend and she missed talking to him ten times a day. "Yeah."

"Can you take one now? You can help me work on the application." He grabbed a pen from an empty table that was pushed up against the wall.

"Yeah, I'm sure the application is what you had in mind."

"Among other things."

She gave him a coy smile as she led him out the side door to the alleyway.

* * *

"The investigation has stalled. How long am I supposed to keep my mouth shut?" Jed had no patience left after six days of side-stepping his Seabrook press conference. With two aides trailing him, he stormed into campaign headquarters, having just delivered a speech at a veteran's luncheon where he was asked, for the 100th time that week, about his tour of the plant.

"If you go public, you run the risk of compromising..." one of his aides began.

"Compromising nothing," Jed returned. "Nothing's being done and my silence sure as hell hasn't helped."

"You'll piss off the FBI."

"So? They'll protect me anyway. It makes them look bad if I get killed."

"I don't see the harm in doing your Seabrook presser without revealing the death threat, just to be on the safe side."

"I denounce Seabrook without addressing the lunatic who's been threatening me to denounce it and it looks like he's pulling all the strings. I'm his puppet, out to do his bidding. Is that the message you want to send?"

His other aide replied, "Of course not, but coming out about the threat..."

"There is no coming out. You don't think the voters see a uniformed cop escorting me to and from campaign events? They know that's not the norm and if they don't, the press sure as hell does. Everyone's already in the loop on this. We fumbled the whole thing right from the start! If we had revealed it from day one, we could have avoided all of this!"

Steaming with anger at the impossible situation he'd gotten himself into, Jed grabbed his cigarettes and charged toward the side door to the alleyway he liked to pace while he smoked. He kicked himself for his decision to keep silent on the death threat. It was a mistake he had to undo, he thought as he reworked it in his mind to come up with alternatives that would allow him to openly state his feelings about Seabrook without making him look like someone's lackey.

He was so wrapped up in his problem that he didn't realize he wasn't alone outside. At least not at first. He heard some giggles coming from around the corner and he strolled over to take a peek. It was Liz and Doug, both oblivious to his presence. They were laughing and teasing each other and Jed didn't take the time to listen to what they were saying, but when he saw Doug pluck a cigarette from his mouth and give it to Liz, he felt his already simmering temper reach its boiling point.

Liz took one drag and quickly pulled it away. It was undoubtedly her first time, that was clear in the way she choked on the acrid smoke. She let out a couple of coughs, fighting to catch her breath as she dangled the Marlboro uncomfortably between her fingers. Jed interrupted them then, snatching the cigarette out of his daughter's hand, throwing it on the sidewalk, and stomping it out.

"DAD!" Liz shouted after her coughing fit. She was humiliated by his interference.

Jed ignored her and aimed his rage at Doug. "My daughter does NOT smoke!"

"I just asked her to try it," Doug explained.

"Like you asked her to drink on the night of her graduation?"

Liz tried to stop the oncoming train wreck. It was about more than the cigarette and she knew it. "Dad, leave him alone!"

Jed went on addressing Doug, "She doesn't need you pressuring her to try anything! And what the hell are you doing here anyway?"

"I came to see her." Under the circumstances, Doug didn't want to reveal that he came to volunteer.

"She's working," Jed told him firmly. "I understand you're a man of leisure, Doug, but in case it's sailed over your head, this is a campaign for the United States Congress. People come here to work, not to lounge on the phone or stand out back and shoot the breeze all day long."

"God, chill out already!" Doug shot back bitterly. "You yell at me like it's your God-given right!"

"Doug, stop!" Liz pleaded, jumping in the middle of her father and her boyfriend. She would have given anything to halt the exchange right then and there.

"What the hell did I do to deserve your anger?"

"You mean besides parking your arrogant self at my dinner table and telling me everything that was wrong with me? Besides bringing illegal fireworks into my home? Besides corrupting my teenage daughter?"

"Corrupting?" Doug scoffed. "Maybe you should get to know your daughter better. She doesn't do anything she doesn't want to do!"

"He's right, Dad," Liz tried to reason with Jed. "Doug hasn't forced me to do anything. You're mad at the wrong person."

"Forget it, Liz. I'm outta here!" Doug roared past Jed and swung to the side of the building.

"Doug!"

Jed returned Liz's glare after they heard the slam of the door. He was in full-fledged father mode and he followed his instincts to do the only thing he could to keep her away from Doug. "You're grounded."

"WHAT!" She couldn't believe he'd resort to that. "I didn't do anything wrong!"

"I let you off the hook for the drinking because you claimed it was an isolated incident."

"It was!"

"Obviously not. You're allowing Doug to lead you down a path you never would have gone down on your own. First it was drinking, now smoking. What's next?"

"Nothing is next! You're overreacting!"

"No, I'm not. I hardly know you anymore." And he meant it. The Liz he knew used to lecture him about his smoking. How Doug could have manipulated her into trying it herself scared Jed.

"This is all because I took one tiny puff off Doug's cigarette? It was one puff, big freaking deal."

"What'd you say we pick up the phone and ask your mother how big a deal it is?" Liz rolled her eyes at that. They both knew how strongly Abbey felt about smoking. "As long as you're living at home, I have a say in what you do and don't do and I don't want to see a cigarette anywhere near your mouth. Got it?"

"You're grounding me for smoking when you were coming out here to do the exact same thing. You don't think that's hypocritical?"

Jed tossed his entire pack of cigarettes into the nearby trash can to underline his point. "You're still grounded. I don't give a damn how old you are."

He left her outside and angrily took off, bursting through the door Doug had used moments earlier. He zipped through the halls so fast that a concerned Jack nearly tripped trying to fall into step with him as they sharply turned the corner to Jed's office.

"Are you going to tell me about it?" the younger man asked, nipping on his brother's heels until Jed spun around and plopped down into his chair.

"Tell you what? How my daughter's lovesick boyfriend is so intimidated by her that he wants to bring her down to his level, engage her in every disgusting habit he has?"

"What happened?"

"He tried to get her to smoke," Jed said with animosity that didn't quite fit the crime as far as Jack was concerned.

"A cigarette?"

"Yes, a cigarette. And don't give me that look. It IS a big deal."

"I didn't say it wasn't."

"I know she's 18, I know she can legally smoke if she wants to, I know there are other kids out there doing a lot worse. But those kids aren't MY kid! I have to nip this in the bud before it becomes anything more serious."

"Like what?"

"Who knows?" Jed didn't like the possibilities. "She called me a hypocrite for getting bent out of shape about it because I smoke, but you know what, I wish I didn't. I've tried to quit a million times. Liz KNOWS that. She's seen me. How can she even consider it knowing what she knows about it?"

"Did you ask her?"

"I didn't have to. The answer is plain as day - Doug. He's the reason she does everything she does these days." That's what annoyed Jed the most. He viewed Liz as young and impressionable and he feared that Doug was taking advantage of that.

"That doesn't sound like Liz."

"Not the old Liz, no. She's blinded by him. She's smart and capable. She could be anything she wants to be, but when she's with him, her judgment goes right out the window. I'm watching him weasel his way into every facet of her life and I can't do a damn thing to stop it."

"I don't know much about Doug, but based on what I've seen out of Liz since she started working here and especially this past week, I think you're giving his influence too much credit."

"I'm not. If you had been out there a few minutes ago, you would have seen it for yourself. She didn't even like the cigarette, but did she tell him? No, because if Doug smokes, then it has to be good. It's like when he gave her beer. She always avoided the peer pressure in high school, but Doug hands her a drink and she can't wait to take it. Her attitude toward me, her screw-ups here at the office...when she's around him, she's like a whole different person."

"Or maybe this is just who I am, with or without Doug," a female voice said from the doorway.

Jed and Jack looked up to see Liz standing there. Jack was the last one in and he hadn't realized that he left the door ajar. Liz had chased after them so she could talk this out with her father and instead, she overheard the sharp words Jed unleashed that, to him, was just his way of venting. Her heart sank at hearing him sound off on everything that had happened with Doug.

"Sorry I'm such a disappointment, Dad," she added before she hustled quickly down the hall.

* * *

Over at the hospital that evening, Abbey made her rounds, finished up some paperwork, and called home to check on Zoey and Ellie. The conversation she had with Jed over their anniversary had gnawed at her all day and by the time the sun went down, she was filled with guilt. She had tried to reach him several times after her morning surgeries, but he darted from one campaign event to another and she wasn't able to pin him down to tell him how grateful she was to have such a sweet and considerate husband who not only remembered their anniversary each and every year, but usually planned elaborate celebrations to honor it. Most women would have given anything to have a Jed Bartlet in their lives, she thought to herself. She hated letting him down and she promised that, somehow, she'd make it up to him.

That night, she left the hospital and decided to surprise him by stopping by the campaign office with dinner. She remembered that he'd be working late, so she picked up a couple of his favorite appetizers and some take-out from a local Italian restaurant, then drove through the streets of downtown Manchester to Bartlet for Congress headquarters. It was in an old building on the busier side of town, where pedestrians walked carelessly after dark, unconcerned about crime or safety. In fact, one of the reasons that Jed approved the building to set up shop was that the area was bustling with foot-traffic, which meant he didn't have to worry about vandalism like he might have in other neighborhoods.

It was reasonably safe, tucked away in a corner off Elm, the main street in the city. So, when Abbey saw a police car in the parking lot and a security guard standing at the door, she felt a twinge of anxiety. Had something happened? Had there been another death threat? Jed had told her that they arrested the man who sent the first letter. Was there more? She scanned the lot and heaved a sigh of relief when she spotted both Jed's and Liz's cars. Father and daughter were in the office, presumably unharmed since there was a guard standing right outside.

Abbey parked her own car and approached the guard. "Excuse me..."

"Good evening, Dr. Bartlet," he said.

"Is something going on?"

"What do you mean?"

"Has there been another threat against my husband?"

"No, Ma'am. We're still working on the first one."

Abbey thought she misunderstood. She spoke to the guard for another minute, then put the pieces together to discover Jed's deception. It made sense, she realized. He had been upset with her for hiring the P.I. to follow him around Seabrook, so he'd made up a ridiculous story about the police tracing the letter to a man in Laconia to get her off his back. How could he do that, she wondered. How could he deceive her?

Calmly, she opened the door and went into the main lobby. There was nothing unusual about her demeanor. She looked composed and collected - to those who didn't really know her.

Jed, who had just gotten back from his meeting in Boston, came barreling out of his office to talk to his aides when he nearly ran into her rigid frame. She was the last person he expected to see and as soon as he did, it hit him. The security guard was still out front, he remembered. Had Abbey talked to him? Had she questioned him? One glance into the haunting glare in her eyes told him everything he needed to know and he silently prepared for whatever was about to happen next.

TBC


	13. Chapter 13

Series: Snapshots of the Past

Story: The Candidate's Daughter

Chapter 13

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Previously: Jed and Abbey had trouble finding time to get away for their anniversary; after Jed grounded Liz to keep her away from Doug, he vented to his brother and a hurt Liz overheard; Abbey showed up at the campaign office to surprise Jed, but got a surprise of her own when she realized that Jed had lied to her about the arrest of the man who threatened him

Summary: Jed explains himself to Abbey, then tries to make amends; Liz and Jed try to patch things up

* * *

Abbey stared at him. An unforgiving stare. It pierced through his facade, as only her stare could, and his guilt-stricken expression exposed his secret. Mere seconds felt like minutes, long and agonizing as husband and wife stood face-to-face. Her eyes bore into Jed's, searching his baby blues for answers to all the questions that flashed in her mind. How could he have lied to her? How could he have intentionally deceived her? Had he done it before? Were there other lies waiting to be uncovered?

Jed took a single step forward and extended his hand to her. "Can we talk outside?"

And with that, he confirmed all her suspicions.

Abbey knew the truth and the worst part was that she found out on her own. Jed could have kicked himself for allowing that to happen. He figured she'd be angry when she learned he'd lied to her, but now that she had put the pieces together herself, he could only imagine how much worse this confrontation would be. He ushered her out to the parking lot so they could be alone, and before the door closed behind them, Abbey shrugged out of his hold. She spun toward him, but instead of the blazing fire he expected, he saw a sudden vulnerability in her face. A flush of anger, softened by hurt.

"I don't have to ask, do I?" she asked in a tone muted by disbelief. "They didn't catch the guy."

"No," he admitted softly.

"You've been lying to me for six days?" She noticed how he hung his head to avoid looking at her. That only made her angrier. "SIX days?"

"Less than a week." He didn't know why he threw that in. No amount of spin was going to make this better.

"Should I be grateful for that?"

"I just want you to keep things in perspective. This wasn't some long, drawn-out deception. I wasn't scheming. I wasn't plotting. I bent the truth on a whim and I came clean in less than a week."

"Only because I found out about it. If I hadn't come here tonight, who knows how long you would have carried on the charade."

"I would have told you."

"When?" she prodded sharply. "How would that conversation have gone?"

"I did it because I was concerned about you." She sputtered at that. "I'm not kidding, Abbey. From the minute I told you about the threat, you've been worried sick. You started hovering, you went to my staff to schedule yourself on my tour of Seabrook, you hired a P.I..."

"And you lied to me to get me off your back!"

"No, that's not what I meant."

"Why not? It's the truth."

"I was concerned about the toll it was taking on you."

"Right, this was all for me."

"It was. My motives weren't selfish."

"Of course not, you were being charitable."

"Is there any point in me defending myself here?" It was difficult to talk to her when all she had were sarcastic rebuttals. Given his penchant for sarcasm, the irony wasn't lost on him.

"Not unless there's something you can say that's going to erase the lies you've been feeding me for a week!" He remained silent. "That's what I thought."

"I wanted to tell you. I tried a hundred times."

"What stopped you?"

"You've been so busy at the hospital..."

"Please," she sighed.

"You're running yourself ragged with the interns. You leave the house before sunup and you're never home before sundown."

"You and me both, Jed! Don't turn this into a fight about my work hours. We already played this act back when I was in residency."

"Are you out of residency? It's sometimes hard to tell." He saw her grimace at that remark. "I'm sorry. It's been a bad day...a bad week."

Abbey didn't need him to tell her that. She knew something had been weighing him down since his return from Seabrook. "This is why you've been so cranky lately. You've been snapping at your staff, at me and the girls."

"I didn't mean to snap at you, or anyone else for that matter."

"But this is why you did?"

"I've been struggling with this. I need to come out against Seabrook without looking like I was threatened to do it. The press is breathing down my neck, wondering why I haven't said a word nearly a week after my tour. I wanted to go public with the death threat..."

He cut himself off when he saw her bow her head as if she was uninterested in his dilemma. She was too angry to care, he thought. What he didn't realize was that Abbey was ashamed to admit that she had been so wrapped up in her own problems at the hospital that she was oblivious to his lack of Seabrook interviews. She had always kept up with his campaign, and when he was in Washington, she kept up with him there, too, by watching House sessions on C-SPAN. The past few weeks, she hadn't followed the press. She hadn't read the newspaper or watched the news. She didn't know about Jed's delay on Seabrook or the public criticism he got because of it.

They stood there silently for several seconds until Abbey asked, "Why didn't you? Go public, I mean...about the death threat?"

"My staff and I have been butting heads. There's a lot to consider."

"Like filling your wife in on the truth?" Her tone had a hard edge to it. "Was that one of your considerations? If I hadn't shown up unannounced, would I have eventually heard about this on the six o'clock news?"

"I would have told you before I went to the media." She looked unconvinced. "You don't believe me."

"I don't know what to believe. I don't know what else you've lied to me about."

"Nothing," he said quickly, then paused for a second and went on, "What else would there be to lie about?"

"How would I know?"

"Okay, you want to know everything, I'll tell you. I've been smoking more than I've admitted to lately. The stress of the campaign is getting to me. Last month, I said to hell with my cholesterol and I've been dining on burgers and fries for lunch ever since. When I'm in D.C., on my way to work, I pass by this vendor who sells these delicious chocolate frosted donuts I can't resist. I've been known to have one for breakfast some mornings. THESE are the kinds of things I don't tell you, Abbey. The big things...the serious things...I'm honest with you about those."

"Until now." Jed turned from her impatiently. "You purposely misled me, Jed! You don't get to be the one who's angry!"

He turned back and took a calming breath before replying. "I'm not."

"You took me in your arms, you comforted me, you promised me it was over. It was all a big lie." She kept repeating that word over and over again, to herself and to him.

"Yes, okay? It was a lie. I'm sorry, but I didn't know what else to do. You were busy enough at the hospital without worrying about my safety every hour of every day. And if you want brutal honesty, yeah, maybe there was a sliver of selfishness involved. Maybe I was tired of you going behind my back and maybe, in the back of my mind, I did want to put an end to you hovering over me...for both our sakes. We were headed for a huge fight. Believe it or not, I wanted to avoid that."

"Oh well, problem solved then."

He took another breath, anything to stop himself from resorting to the same brand of fiery sarcasm she used. "I did what I had to do and I hope you understand that because I don't know what else to say."

"There is nothing else to say." Abbey grabbed her keys from her purse and approached her car.

"Don't leave like this. You came here so we could have dinner together. We can still do that."

"I've lost my appetite."

She didn't even look at him as she slid into the driver's seat, closed the door, and sped off.

* * *

Abbey drove aimlessly through the streets of Manchester after leaving the campaign office. She chose a deserted route, a narrow roadway that spiraled through the outskirts of the city on lonely hills that dipped and crested under her headlights. Her foot hit the gas pedal and never let up. Fighting with Jed had left her frazzled and she needed the drive to get herself together before going home to face Zoey and Ellie. Along the way, she replayed Jed's words in her mind, a process that helped her weed out the anger that distracted her at the time and focus solely on the reasons for his deceit.

"I did it because I was concerned about you," he had told her.

She rejected that notion when she first heard it, but the truth was she believed him. He donned a look of sincerity when he said it. It was a look she recognized, one that couldn't be faked. Not by Jed anyway. After all their years together, she knew him well enough to know that. Or did she, she wondered. It wasn't just the lie that unnerved her; it was the fact that she was clueless about it. How could she not have sensed that he was being dishonest? How could she not have doubted that ridiculous tale he fed her? She once swore she'd see right through him if he ever lied to her, but the past week proved just the opposite. She was positively oblivious.

Or was she?

A stressful knot looped in the pit of her stomach as she rehashed the rest of the conversation and pondered that particular question.

"You've been so busy at the hospital..." he'd tried to explain. "You're running yourself ragged with the interns. You leave the house before sunup and you're never home before sundown."

"You and me both, Jed!" she had defended herself. "Don't turn this into a fight about my work hours. We already played this act back when I was in residency."

"Are you out of residency? It's sometimes hard to tell."

He had a point.

July was a busy month at the hospital every year, but she had managed to make it twenty times busier this year by tackling the controversial chore of changing the residency program. Morning rounds were always fast-paced yet educational for the newly minted interns and third and fourth-year medical students on her service, surgeries always required mental and physical fortitude, noon conference always sucked up any free time she had to grab lunch, days she spent in clinic always sent her darting from exam room to exam room, and an avalanche of paperwork always kept her tethered to her office well past normal business hours. She was a surgeon, a teacher, and even more importantly, a wife and a mother. While she wasn't perfect, she made a full-scale effort and usually, she did a decent job of wearing all four hats. But her added responsibilities of tweaking hospital schedules, introducing a night float system, and covering for overworked and sleepy residents compromised her juggling act, and never was it more clear to her than it was on that night.

She wondered if Jed's lie worked because she was too stressed and exhausted to call him on it, if somewhere deep inside, she realized his version of the arrest of the typewriting phantom who was threatening him was far-fetched and she let him get away with it because it was what she wanted to believe. Like he said, she'd been worried sick about him. It felt good to let go of that fear. It gave her heart and her brain room to concentrate on other things - like the hospital and the situation there.

She caught her breath at that realization, then slowed down and pulled over to the side of the road. With an open palm, she slammed the steering wheel in a furious outburst directed not only at Jed, but at herself as well, for trusting his shady story and allowing herself to be duped.

* * *

Ellie and Zoey were having a good summer. Despite their parents' busy schedules, fun activities filled their days. For Ellie, it was all about softball practice and community band with private clarinet lessons. Zoey looked forward to riding lessons and day camp. Both girls enjoyed trips to the movies and visits with friends who liked to come over to picnic out by the pond or go for an afternoon swim. Jed had even set up a Slip n' Slide in the backyard that Mrs. Wilburforce would attach to the garden hose for Zoey and her playmates when they needed a break from operating the lemonade stand they had set up at the busy crossroads at the end of the private gravel drive that led to the Bartlet farmhouse.

Ellie, meanwhile, learned to play tennis at the park around the corner. She and her best friend, Wendy, would play for hours when she didn't have softball or band practice. And when they got tired of tennis, they'd strap on their rollerblades and explore the paved trails nearby. In the evenings, it was either a book or the television that captured Ellie's attention. She reserved the largest TV in the house three nights a week for her favorite shows, reruns of the programs she'd missed during the school year. Her routine was predictable - comfortable PJs, a tub of popcorn, the remote control, and the preferred overstuffed chair in the family room.

That's where Abbey found her when she got home that night.

"Hey."

"Hi." Ellie greeted her with a broad smile. "How was work?"

"Back to back surgeries most of the day, so exhausting." Abbey kicked off her shoes and stole a few kernels popcorn, no hint of angst in her voice or on her face. "How was your day?"

"It's summer," the giddy preteen reminded her. "It's always good over the summer."

"Is Zoey in bed?"

"Not yet. Mrs. Wilburforce is helping her with her reading first."

"Oh." She was supposed to be doing that, Abbey thought with a familiar pang of motherly guilt for getting home so late. "I'll go up and supervise. Are you going to be down here for a while?"

"Yeah, I'm watching _Kate & Allie_."

"Save me some popcorn!"

Ellie's blue-green eyes sparkled at the thought of TV night with her mom. "Better hurry or I'll eat it all!"

Abbey dashed out of the room in a much better mood than the one she came home with moments earlier. Ellie often had that affect on her. She loved all three of her daughters dearly and equally, but she recognized and celebrated the different reasons why. Lizzie was the outspoken one who Abbey counted on to give it to her straight, whether it was about trivial topics like the latest fashion dos and don'ts or more serious issues like her feelings on the hospital's sex ed class for teens, Zoey was the free spirit in the family, the cute one with the endless spunk of an Energizer Bunny, who could entertain her and make her laugh in any situation, and Ellie was the sweet one, shy and quiet, the one who had a talent for brightening her day with something as simple as a hug or one of her trademark smiles.

Abbey held onto the image of that smile as she mounted the stairs and crossed the second-floor hallway to Zoey's bedroom. She thanked Mrs. Wilburforce and walked her out, then climbed in to Zoey's small pine bed so they could read together. When the six-year-old fell asleep a short while later, she returned to the family room, as promised, and watched the rest of the Monday night lineup with Ellie before they shut off the lights and headed upstairs to bed, their chatter no louder than a whisper.

They reached the top landing, said their goodnights, and veered off to their rooms. Abbey disappeared behind the door of the master suite, but she stopped at the foot of the bed and considered her options. She and Jed almost always shared a bed when he wasn't in Washington. Sometimes they were at odds and on very rare occasions, their disagreements were serious enough that one of them slept in the spare room. As she stepped into the adjoining bathroom to wash off her makeup, brush her teeth, and prepare for bed, she asked herself if this was one of those occasions.

* * *

Jed pulled up to the farmhouse at one o'clock in the morning. He probably could have rushed through his staff meeting and the other tasks he had waiting for him to make it home at a decent hour, but his fight with Abbey had stalled him. After she left, he spent most of the night thinking about her, trying desperately to come up with ways to make her forgive him. It was up to him, he decided. As she said, he was the one who lied. And even if it wasn't about that, Jed was an old-fashioned soul, a gentleman who believed that it was his duty as the man to orchestrate peace in the marriage and to keep his wife happy. In the past, if he didn't know how to do that, he was guilty of avoiding her in hopes of avoiding bigger confrontations.

But this time, avoidance wasn't the answer.

He charged into the house and up the stairs with a purpose. He passed the girls' rooms on the way to the master bedroom at the end of the hall. He, too, thought about the two spare rooms and wondered if Abbey had decided to sleep in one of them. He was relieved to see that she hadn't. She was asleep on her side of their bed, curled up under the covers. Jed hesitated to disturb her until he was ready to climb in beside her. He stripped down to his boxers and sat on the bed, sliding his legs under the blanket and turning his body toward his wife.

She had her back to him and he gently ran his fingers up and down her arm. When she didn't stir right away, he felt terrible. She was tired and she'd have to get up early in the morning. It would be selfish to wake her just to clear his conscience, he thought, so with a kiss to her cheek, he rolled over and tried to get some sleep.

It was then that Abbey opened her eyes. The thoughts racing through her mind had kept her up, but she wasn't ready to go another round with Jed, which was why she feigned sleepiness when he came in. It was harder when he touched her, but she fought the urge to turn to him, fearing her growing anger would only lead to a bigger argument. With her back to him, she quietly wiped a lone teardrop that trailed down her cheek as she relived their fight once again.

* * *

The next morning, Jed woke up to an empty bed. He slipped into his robe and slippers and padded his way downstairs, slowing his pace when he heard voices coming from the kitchen. It was Elizabeth, still sore about the fight she'd had with him and trying to win Abbey's favor so she could intervene. He felt no shame in eavesdropping. The topic of conversation was him, after all, and Liz had made no attempt to curb her tone, or her voice for that matter.

"He only grounded me to keep me away from Doug!" she complained.

"Or because he caught you smoking," Abbey countered, to Jed's relief. She operated on emphysema and lung cancer patients nearly every day. Smoking was a non-starter as far as she was concerned.

"I wasn't smoking. I just wanted to try it."

"Like you wanted to try drinking?"

Liz was mildly surprised that Abbey used the same line on her that Jed had used the day before. "Did you guys compare notes or something?"

"Don't get sassy and expect my help at the same time."

"Sorry."

"He's going through a difficult time with the campaign, we all know that. He's been grumpy and I'll allow for the possibility that he might have flown off the handle when he saw you and Doug, but I wasn't there. I don't know what happened to make him do what he did."

"Nothing happened, I told you. He yanked the cigarette out of my hand, went off on Doug, screamed at me, and then grounded me."

"Well..." Abbey shrugged. "You're going to have to work it out with him. Talk to him, Liz. He's a fair man."

"When he's not in a bad mood, sure."

"Talk to him and if you get nowhere, we'll revisit this tonight, okay? I can't get into it now. I have to go to work."

That was Jed's cue. He stepped around the corner and allowed Abbey to see him as she left the kitchen. Their eyes locked for a brief moment before she passed him without a word. He followed her toward the front door.

"Thanks for the support in there," he said. Ignoring him, she gathered her purse, her work bag, and her white coat. "What does your day look like?" Still no response. "Abbey?" The silent treatment. He hated that. She grabbed her keys off the console in the foyer and when she reached for the door knob, he jumped in front of her. "Okay look, you have every right to be mad at me. Furious even. I was a jerk, I admit it. But we need to talk about this." Abbey didn't move. "What can I say to make this right? What can I do, Abbey?"

"I'm going to be late," she finally said.

"I'll let you go just as soon as you promise me you'll think about going away with me on Saturday." Before she could protest, he continued, "I know you can't go for the whole weekend, but you said yesterday that we could do an overnight trip. Let's do that. We'll leave Saturday, be back Sunday."

"I work on Saturday."

"After work then. Make it a half day and get someone to cover for you. We'll leave in the afternoon." Jed refused to give up. "Our anniversary is next week. I don't want to spend it fighting."

And neither did she. She gave him a nod of her head, a gesture that assured him she'd consider it, and he eventually moved out of her way so she could reach again for the knob. This time, she turned it and left. No goodbye kiss, no promise of phone calls later in the day. Just silence, followed by the slam of the door. Jed watched her through the window until she walked out of view.

He then turned toward the kitchen, where he suspected that Liz was still stewing. He remembered their last encounter at the campaign office. 'Sorry I'm such a disappointment,' was what she had said after she heard him spouting off to Jack about her and Doug. His stomach had tightened with that remark and he'd regretted it right away, but he didn't chase after her. She had stormed out of the building only to return hours later and by then, he was waist-deep in his problem with Abbey. He had let it go and hoped that it would be easier to deal with in the morning.

But it wasn't.

Liz's statement gnawed at him, even more in the daylight than it had the night before. Thanks to John Bartlet, he was no stranger to the painful emotions that came with the thought of being a disappointment to a parent. It strangled his spirit to think that Liz, his pride and joy, could be feeling the way he had with his own father. Taking vigorous strides toward the kitchen, he was determined to put an end to it.

He crossed the entryway and saw that she had her back to him as she buttered a piece of toast at the counter.

"You caught me at a bad time yesterday," he began. "I needed a sounding board after my run-in with you and Doug. Uncle Jack stepped in. What you overheard was me venting my frustration."

"Your frustration with me," Liz added, her back to him still.

Yes, Jed wanted to say. His frustration and annoyance was mainly directed at her. He blamed Doug for it, but Liz was his child. She was his priority, the person he wanted to protect from all of life's heartbreaks. She had made it nearly impossible for him and he couldn't help his irritation at that. Still, he wasn't there to battle her again. His goal was to calm the storm between them and the only way to do that was to ignore her comment.

"I don't want to rehash it all, but I came in here to tell you that you're a lot of things, Elizabeth. A disappointment has never been one of them." He approached her and dropped a kiss to the top of her head. "I'm sorry I made you feel that way."

Liz turned around then to see him walking out of the kitchen. She spoke up. "You had no reason to ground me."

Jed opened his mind to the possibility that he might have been hasty in grounding her. He lingered for a second, then moved to the table to take a seat. "I felt that I did, but I'll hear you out if you want to talk about it."

"Are you in a better mood than you were yesterday?"

"So far."

She thought about the possibility of another fight, but she decided to risk it and join him anyway. "I didn't do anything wrong. I didn't break the rules, I didn't talk back to you. I didn't deserve to be yelled at."

"I wish I hadn't yelled."

"Me too."

"I saw you with the cigarette and it infuriated me. I haven't set the best example when it comes to smoking and I've worried before about you following in my footsteps. That might make me a hypocrite, as you pointed out, but it is what it is."

"I'm not following in your footsteps."

"I hope not. You know how many times I've tried to quit smoking. You know how hard it is once you start."

"Yes, I know."

"Then why..."

"If you had asked what was going on, I would have told you that I wasn't smoking." He shook his head as if he wasn't buying it. "I wasn't, Dad. I tried it because I didn't understand the attraction - for you or for Doug - but all I did was take a puff. I didn't like it. I hated it actually, just like I knew I would."

"Good." Jed was relieved to hear that. "Maybe I overreacted a little. I was upset about a lot of things, things that had nothing to do with you and when I saw you with Doug, I lost my temper."

"No kidding," she replied.

"In fairness, you have to understand how it looked to me."

"You should have had enough faith in me to ask me about it before you got mad."

"That would have been a better way to handle it, you're right. A year ago, that's exactly what I would have done, but things have changed."

"What's changed?"

"You. You've changed this summer."

"No, I haven't."

"Lizzie, you have. You and I have always been close, haven't we? We've always had a bond. I know you so well, sweetheart. I see these changes in you that you don't see in yourself and I have to wonder how much of it is you growing up and how much of it is because of Doug's influence. It scares me, the affect he has on you."

"He doesn't have an adverse affect on me."

"Come on, be honest."

"I am. If I've changed this summer, it isn't because of Doug. He may be a small part of it, but mostly, it's about me. I'm putting in so many hours at the campaign, more hours than I ever thought I was capable of working, I'm doing some really cool stuff that I never thought I'd be able to do, and I'm surprising myself. I'm getting ready to start college in the fall, and for once, I have a steady boyfriend that I'm in love with." Jed grumbled at that. "I know you don't like hearing it, but it's true."

"So you say."

"With everything going on, wouldn't you expect me to have my head in the clouds now and then? Isn't that normal?"

"It's been a big summer for you, I get that. But you're distracted. That's my problem."

"Why?"

"Because Doug, the campaign, and everything else aside, I don't want you to lose sight of the bigger picture - Wellesley. That should be your only goal right now. You worked so hard to get in."

"Yes, I did. So, why are you so convinced I'm going to mess it up?"

"I'm not convinced you're going to mess it up."

"Then why won't you trust me?"

"I trust you to be a responsible young woman, but I'm also a realist and I know that you're only 18 years old and while it may seem to you like you've done all the growing you're going to do, that's just not true. In the grand scheme of things, you're still very young."

"What does that have to do with..."

"You're impressionable and I think you're more susceptible to peer pressure than I realized in the past."

"Doug has never pressured me to do anything."

"He's introduced you to things you wouldn't have done without him - like drinking, like smoking. I know, I know, you weren't smoking; you just tried it. But the old Lizzie wouldn't have needed to try it to know it wasn't for her. The old Lizzie would have turned up her nose at it and called it a disgusting habit."

"So I'm spreading my wings. I'm exposing myself to things instead of being told how I should feel about them. Isn't that part of growing up, experiencing things yourself and learning from your mistakes?"

"Yeah, as long as you have the maturity to hang on to your morals." Jed didn't want Liz to live in a bubble, believing only what he and Abbey had told her about the world. He wanted her to make her own mistakes, become her own person, and chart her own path in life.

"I do. If you'd let me, I'd prove it to you."

"I'm trying. Believe me, I am. It's just so hard to watch from the sidelines when I think you could still use my guidance."

"When I need it, I'll ask," she promised.

"That's the problem. I don't think you'll know when you need it. Your relationship with Doug..."

"Dad..." Rarely did discussions about Doug end well.

"Lizzie, he's part of our problem. If you want to talk honestly and openly, we have to talk about him."

"Fine, let's talk. Just don't rag on him, okay? Insulting him isn't going to change how I feel about him."

"Apparently not." If only it did. "You've got the world at your feet right now. You can do anything you want, be anyone you want to be. I don't want to see your future derailed because of the choices you're making."

"You make it sound like I'm bumming the streets selling drugs."

"That's not what I meant."

"Are you sure? Yesterday, you questioned what was next. Were you implying drugs?"

"No." Jed wouldn't tolerate drugs and he'd made that abundantly clear to Liz since elementary school. If he suspected she was into that, it would be time for some tough love, not a casual conversation at the kitchen table.

"Then what?"

"I don't know what. It was my temper talking. I was imagining worst case scenarios."

"And that was one."

"For a second, maybe. It was stupid. You're a good kid, Elizabeth, I know that. You have a good head on your shoulders. I don't want to keep you from growing up or from experiencing new things.

"But you won't back off long enough for me to do that."

"Because I can't stand Doug," he said honestly. "I don't think he's right for you."

Liz gave him one of her exasperated stares. "You'll never accept him."

"No, probably not."

"I don't understand why."

"There's this little voice inside my head that keeps telling me to get you away from him. It's instinct and when it comes to you and your sisters, I have to trust my instincts. I don't expect you to understand that until you have kids of your own."

"What if you're wrong?"

"I don't think I am."

"What if you are? I know you love me and you're looking out for me and all, but what if this time, you don't know what's best?"

"Highly unlikely," he smiled.

"Dad, I'm being serious." Liz looked him in the eye.

"What do you want? Do you want me to tell you that I'm behind you 100% whatever you do?"

"That would be nice."

"I want to."

"Then do it...please."

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because you're going to..." He stopped himself before he said something that would lead to another fight. He took a beat, awkward as it was. "I hate this constant friction."

"I do too," she agreed. "Dad, I'm just having some harmless fun before college. I'm testing my limits, but I'm aware of what I'm doing and when to quit. I swear to you, I won't be drinking. I swear, I won't be smoking. I'll make curfew every night, just like I have been. All I'm asking is that you treat me like an adult. If you see me doing something you don't like, talk to me about it instead of screaming at me in front of other people or grounding me or sending me to my room. And trust me enough to know that I'm still the same person I've always been and that if I get in over my head, I'll come to you. Can't you do that?"

It was a predicament for Jed. The past month had been a rollercoaster between him and Liz with a string of arguments repeatedly threatening the harmony in their relationship. She'd be moving out to attend college soon and for him, that brought back memories of Notre Dame and how he couldn't wait to get out of his father's house to begin a new life for himself in Indiana, far away from his family and his past. He couldn't bear the thought of Liz feeling the same way. He loved her of course, but more importantly, he liked, admired, and respected her as a person, even if he didn't like, admire, or respect her romance with Doug. Her feelings were important to him and what he wanted most was to make her last few weeks at home as special as possible.

Grudgingly and against his better judgment, he waved his white flag at Liz that morning, then said a silent prayer that he wouldn't regret it.

TBC


	14. Chapter 14

Series: Snapshots of the Past

Story: The Candidate's Daughter

Chapter 14

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Previously: Jed and Abbey had a big fight when he admitted he'd been lying to her about his death threat; Liz asked Jed to treat her like an adult

Summary: Jed and Abbey's loved ones conspire to lighten things up

* * *

Elizabeth hung up the phone, rose from her desk, and aimed her triumphant grin across the finance bullpen at her uncle. Right on cue, Jack strode down the hall to Jed's office without a hint of apprehension about what he was going to do. It was a conspiracy dreamed up by him and carried out by several co-conspirators, including Liz, and if Jed got angry about it when it was all over, that was a chance they were all willing to take.

"Hey, how was the thing in Exeter?"

Jed was on day four of a four-day economic recovery tour. "It's hard to have a conversation about job creation when all anyone wants to do is bitch and blame me for the unemployment rate. I'm a scapegoat for all the world's evils."

"Life as a public servant."

"Not to mention it's about 98 degrees out there and I'm walking around in a suit."

"Which only inspires a good attitude, I'm sure." Jack smirked.

"I haven't even checked the schedule for tonight."

"No need to. You have to go home."

"It's 5 p.m."

"It's uncanny how you sound like the time lady when you do that."

"Do I look like I'm in the mood to be mocked?"

"No, but then you never are. Anyway, you have to go home. Mrs. Wilburforce called. She has a family emergency and has to take off."

"I'll send Lizzie home to sit with the girls."

"You can't," Jack said. "I need her to finish the data sheets. They have to be filed tonight."

"She can't finish them at home?"

"We're working on them together."

"I'll call the back-up sitter then."

"Liz already tried."

"And?"

"It's Friday night. She's not available."

Ending a campaign day at five o'clock on a weeknight was rare for Jed. "I can't go home. Abbey and I are going away tomorrow. I have a lot to do tonight."

"It's a Friday, six weeks before the primary. The world won't come to an end if you take an early night."

"I have calls to make - campaign calls. I can't do that from home. And I've got briefing papers, speeches that need revising..."

"You have a first-rate campaign staff who will take care of anything that needs to be taken care of. You don't have any other events today. There's nothing here for you that can't wait until Monday."

"Why are you in such a rush to get rid of me?"

"You really want to know? You've been a bear around the office the past week and a half. You need to get out of here. You should go home, unwind, and find a way to put yourself in a better mood before you and Abbey leave tomorrow, unless you want it to ruin your trip."

"It won't ruin the trip. I haven't been that bad."

"Yes, you have." Jack handed him his briefcase. "Go home, relax, pack, do whatever you need to do to put yourself in a better frame of mind for Abbey. Let us take care of the campaign."

Ordinarily, Jed would have resisted. He would have said he was too wound up to go home, that he couldn't stand to leave things unfinished at the office. But Jack had a solid point, he had to admit. Abbey was still mad at him and the last thing he needed was to snap at her and make the fight worse. He had to find a way to rid himself of the stress that had him on-edge, so he let go of his hesitation and allowed Jack to usher him toward the door out of his office.

* * *

"You won't need Brownie, Zo." Ellie returned her sister's teddy bear from her overnight bag to its rightful place on the six-year-old's bed.

"Yes I will! I need him to help me fall asleep."

"You don't sleep at sleepovers."

That came as a surprise to Zoey, who was still fairly new to sleepovers. "Huh? Me and Cindy sleep when she spends the night."

"You're not supposed to."

"Then why's it called a sleepover if you don't sleep?"

"That's just what you call it."

"What are you supposed to do if you're not supposed to sleep?"

"You stay up all night and tell ghost stories or you listen to tapes or watch movies or look through magazines. Or you could just talk."

"What would we talk about?"

"Anything - movie stars, pop stars, boys."

"BOYS?" Zoey scrunched up her face.

"Well, not you since you're only six, but at a grown-up sleepover, the subject is always boys."

"You're not a grown up."

"I'm more grown up than you."

"And you talk about boys?"

"Sometimes."

"What boys?"

"Never mind."

"Tell me! What boys do you talk about?"

"I said never mind!" Ellie quickly changed that subject. "Get your tooth brush and pajamas. Dad'll be here soon."

Downstairs, Jed marched through the front door. He used the drive over as an opportunity to put himself in better spirits. It wasn't hard to do once he thought about the evening ahead. He'd be taking over for Mrs. Wilburforce, which meant he'd get to spend quality time with his daughters. His schedule had been so packed since the Fourth of July, he couldn't remember the last time he'd had the chance to pop some popcorn, kick back in his recliner in the family room, and watch television or play board games with Ellie and Zoey. If anything could pull him out of this grumpy rut he was in, it was that.

"Girls, I'm home," he called upstairs.

"Mr. Bartlet, I'm sorry about this." Mrs. Wilburforce rushed toward the foyer to greet him.

"It's no problem. I hope everything's okay."

"Yes, sir, it'll be fine. I just need to get back home."

Jed walked her out to her car and returned inside just in time to find Ellie sprinting downstairs behind the rolled-up sleeping bag she'd tossed down the steps. She had a duffel bag over her shoulder and a gift-wrapped Swatch in her hand. The fingers of her other hand held onto to the straps of a silver cassette case stuffed with tapes of the Bangles, Madonna, and Prince.

"What's all that?" he asked her.

"I'm spending the night at Wendy's, remember?"

Jed thought for a moment. "No, as a matter of fact, I don't. Why are you going to Wendy's?"

"It's her birthday; she's having a slumber party. Will you drop me off please?"

"I was looking forward to us having some fun here tonight."

"But I already told her I'd come."

Disappointed, he sighed. "Yeah, okay, I'll take you."

"Thanks! Zoey needs a ride too."

"Where's Zoey going?"

"She's spending the night at Shelley's."

"Shelley? Who's Shelley?"

"Her friend from school."

"Do I know her parents?"

"Yes," Ellie assured him. "You met them at Parents' Night. Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton."

"Did I like them?" Jed was never good with names.

"You said Mrs. Hamilton was a show-off and complained that Mr. Hamilton was a registered Republican."

That jogged his memory. "The windbag who criticized my minimum wage proposal?"

"That's the one!"

"That guy's not just a Republican. A Republican I can handle. That guy, he's a fascist. He was on the steering committee to turn Veterans Park into a strip mall! Why's Zoey going over there?"

"Because Shelley invited her and Shelley isn't a registered anything so why not?"

The door swung open then and Abbey waltzed in, just as surprised to see Jed as he was to see her.

"Hello," she said.

"You're home early."

"Liz called to say that Mrs. Wilburforce had an emergency and had to leave right away."

"Why would she do that? She knew that Jack sent me home to sit with Ellie and Zoey."

"He did?"

"Yeah."

"What was the emergency?"

"She wouldn't say. All she told me was that she had to leave..." It dawned on Jed then. His brother and eldest daughter were quite the meddlers. He turned to Ellie, who looked back at him with an innocent smile. "I think we've been set up."

"Ellie?" Abbey approached. "Did you guys orchestrate this to get us home? Did you send Mrs. Wilburforce away so that your dad and I would leave work early?"

"You'll have to ask Lizzie about all that, Mom. All I know is I'm going to be late for my slumber party if we don't go."

"What slumber party?"

"At Wendy's. Why doesn't anybody remember?"

"Sorry, I forgot that was tonight."

"Yeah, and Zoey's going to Shelley's," Jed added. "Lizzie's been a busy little bee, coordinating this whole thing."

"She didn't invent Wendy's birthday party, Dad. She just took advantage of it. And Mom said Zoey could spend the night at Shelley's weeks ago."

Jed looked at his wife. "Her father's a fascist, you know."

"Yes, I know." Abbey humored him. "Okay Ellie, you go with Dad, I'll drop Zoey off, and we'll get back to work." She hollered upstairs. "Zoey, let's go!"

Jed trailed her to the foot of the stairs. "You're going back to the hospital?"

"If the girls won't be home, then yes. I have a lot that needs to get done tonight before we go away."

"So do I, but it would be nice to have dinner together." He had toed the line all week, giving her the space she wanted and accepting the silent treatment. Truth be told, he was growing tired of it. "We have to talk about it eventually, Abbey."

"We will."

"When? On the drive tomorrow? When we get there? I was kind of hoping we could at least start talking before then."

A knock at the door interrupted them.

"It's Millie and Richard," Abbey told Jed as she caught a glimpse of them through the sidelight.

"Did you invite them?"

"No, did you?"

"Why would I invite them? Until a few days ago, I thought you and I were starting our weekend away tonight." He realized how petty and hostile that sounded after it came out. "That wasn't a dig; I'm just saying."

"Well, they're here, so we can forget about dinner alone." She opened the door. "Hi."

Carrying a platter of finger sandwiches, Millie walked right in, her husband Richard behind her. "Is it just me or are we shattering some sort of record with this heat wave?"

Abbey took the platter out of her hand. "What are you doing here?"

"It's couples' game night."

"Not until next week."

"Change of plans. It's tonight." Millie saw Jed closing the door. "I wouldn't bother. Jack and Kellie are right behind us and Kate and Bob are on their way."

"Jack's at the campaign office." Jed looked completely bewildered.

"Not anymore." That was Jack. He held a dish of taco salad and pushed the door open enough for him and Kellie to squeeze through.

"Why aren't you at the campaign?"

"I told you, it's couples' game night," Millie repeated.

"What she said," Jack tagged on. "And before you give me a bad time, everything's under control at the office. I left Lizzie in charge."

He grinned in the face of Jed's scowl.

"Knock, knock!" Kate and Bob were the next to invite themselves in, Kate with a bag of chips and a container of salsa and Bob with a couple of six-packs and a bottle of Baileys Irish Cream.

"Oh good, you remembered the Baileys!" Millie took the booze. "I think we should let the guys set up the game and we'll take care of the food. What'd you say, Abbey?"

Abbey was just as confused as Jed. Until a few minutes ago, she had planned to go back to the hospital. "I really don't think..."

"...that that's a bad idea! That's what you were going to say, right?" Millie took her by the hand and led her toward the kitchen.

Kate and Kellie followed with the rest of the food and drinks.

"Who's going to drop off me and Zoey?" Ellie asked again. She was standing in the corner of the room, out of the way.

"Jed?" Abbey called back to him over her shoulder before Millie dragged her into the kitchen.

"I'll take them just as soon as I figure out who else is coming through that door." Jed took a step outside to scan the driveway.

"Everyone's here," Jack told him.

"You set this up. You and Liz." He came back in and closed the door.

"We're all a little guilty."

"Why?"

"Because we thought it would be fun."

"It's not the best time for me and Abbey to be hosting couples' games right now."

"Maybe it's not the best time, but that's what makes it the right time."

"What does that mean? You know what's going on?"

"No, all I know is something is."

The people who knew them best knew that something was wrong in the Bartlet marriage. Jed had been touchy ever since he returned from Seabrook, but after his fight with Abbey, he was even worse. He couldn't help it. There was something off-balance in the world when he and Abbey were at odds. He missed the phone calls during the day, missed the goodbye kisses in the morning, the goodnight kisses before bed. Most of all, he just missed talking to her about whatever was on his mind. Their schedules had kept them playing tag all week and their limited conversations revolved mainly around the kids. He tried to hide it and he was relieved that Jack never asked about it. It wasn't because he hadn't noticed, Jed now realized, but only because he respected his brother's privacy.

* * *

A similar conversation took place in the kitchen. Millie, like Jack, got the feeling that something was askew in the Bartlet marriage on Wednesday, when she drove up from Boston for the sex ed class she and Abbey ran at the hospital. Jed had sent flowers to Abbey's office, a gesture that usually provoked a dreamy twinkle in her eye and a phone call. This time, Abbey reacted differently. She was visibly upset. Her thoughts were scattered, and although she did pick up the phone to thank him, when she learned he was at a campaign event, she didn't bother to leave a message. Millie asked her why, but when Abbey dodged the question, she backed off. Jack called Millie on Thursday to set up game night for the next week. They compared notes and decided their couples' date couldn't wait. Millie called Kate to set the details and Jack talked to Liz to arrange things at home.

"Let me guess what's going to happen next," Abbey started after Millie explained it all to her. "You're going to pair us up so that we can work through a game of Trivial Pursuit together, which you'll let us win as part of some master plan to remind us that we make a good team."

"Trivial Pursuit?" Kate scoffed. "You should be so lucky!"

Jed and Abbey never lost a game of Trivial Pursuit.

"We're playing the home edition of The Newlywed Game tonight." Kellie showed her the stack of question cards that Millie had brought into the kitchen.

"And don't get any crazy ideas. No one's going to let you win." Millie took out a bunch of five-by-seven index cards and four markers.

"None of us are newlyweds," Abbey reminded them.

"It's not a requirement." Millie handed everyone cards and markers. "I'll read the questions, you guys write your answers on these."

"I don't know."

"Abbey, objecting isn't an option," Millie replied lovingly. "You're not getting out of this, so don't even try."

* * *

As Jed left to drop off Zoey and Ellie at their friends', Jack, Richard, and Bob began to set things up. There were two sofas, a couple of chairs, and a coffee table in the Bartlet family room. They moved the coffee table to the center, where they planned to put the sandwiches and snacks everyone brought with them, and arranged the sofas on either side, the one on the right reserved for the women, the one on the left for the men. A large pad on an easel that stood in the corner would serve as the score board.

Millie and Richard had split up the question cards before they arrived. The wives chose from the stack Millie had and wrote their answers on their index cards in the kitchen. When Jed returned home, the men chose from Richard's pile and did the same. As soon as everyone was ready, they all gathered in the family room to begin the game. Each couple agreed to alternate playing hosts, Millie and Richard volunteering to go first.

Round One

Richard faced the women with a card that held a question the men had already answered. "What did your husband say is his favorite part of being married to you?"

Abbey was first. Numerous possibilities flooded her mind. 'Sex'? She and Jed had an active sex life and he always claimed he couldn't get enough of her. Still, she couldn't believe that's what he would have listed as his favorite part of their marriage. She thought about what he liked about her. Talking to her, that's what he liked. Jed was a talker and he loved that Abbey was too. He never missed an opportunity to boast how much her intellect turned him on and he sometimes said that while her beauty took his breath away, what he found even more attractive was her ability to hold her own in any conversation. In fact, he'd been known to egg her on once or twice, playing devil's advocate on subjects she was particularly passionate about, just so he could watch her mind at work. She started to go with that, but then she thought about a more general answer. Jed liked spending time with her. Jogging the hills at the farm before sunrise, reading medical journals to analyze the latest published research on heart and lung transplantation, blowing a Saturday parading the mall or fancy boutiques downtown in search of a new summer wardrobe, these were all things that he would never do on his own. But he did them with Abbey and he made no secret of why. Just being around her brightened his day, he often told her.

Abbey felt a flush thinking about that. Her heart swelled with affection for him. This question wasn't a coincidence, she decided. It was chosen by interfering friends who opened the game in a way that was sure to break the ice between her and Jed. They knew what they were doing, and they did it well.

She ruminated for another second, then gave her answer.

"Spending time together, that's what he said."

That was exactly what Jed had written. He flipped his index card to reveal that she was right, earning them a point.

Millie and Richard moved down the line, quizzing Kellie and Kate as they had Abbey. When everyone answered and all the points were assigned, Millie turned her attention to the men for the next question.

"What quality did your wife say she admires most about you?"

A few weeks ago, Jed would have said that Abbey had praised his honesty, but because of their recent spat thanks to his lie, he guessed that was no longer a possibility. He wondered what she would admire about him now and pondering that question made him squirm uncomfortably, so he gave the first answer that came to mind.

"My knowledge of random facts."

Abbey furrowed her brows. She humored him his trivia, but there was so much more to Jed than that. "That's what you think I admire most about you? It's not even a quality."

He shrugged. "It's the first thing I thought of."

Abbey flipped her card.

'His integrity,' she had written. That was something inherent in Jed, something ingrained in his soul and could never be lost. He may have lied to her about his death threat, but even honorable men made mistakes sometimes and in spite of her anger, she truly believed that's what this was.

For once, Jed was delighted to be wrong. He opened a bottle of beer and relaxed a bit.

* * *

Round Two

The first round had ended with Jed and Abbey in second place, right after Jack and Kellie. Kate and Bob took over as hosts and Millie and Richard took their place on the sofas.

"When you met your husband, what was the very first thing he noticed about you?" Bob asked the wives.

Abbey thought back to that night. New Year's Eve 1965. She was at a dance club with her friends, standing on a second-story platform overlooking the dance floor. Jed, there with his buddies, looked up and saw her leaning over the railing and gazing down at him. He was instantly mesmerized, he later told her. He couldn't have raced up the stairs any faster.

"He's going to say something sweet, like my eyes," Abbey replied with a love-struck expression, a clear giveaway that she was reminiscing. "But knowing what he likes, I suspect it was my breasts that first attracted him."

Jed flipped his card. 'Her beautiful face,' it read.

"You don't give me enough credit," he teased from his seat directly across from her, and Abbey's grin morphed into a small laugh as she dipped a chip into the container of salsa.

The ice was not only broken. It was melting fast.

Kate went down the line. "Kellie?"

"I'm going to have to agree with Abbey and say that Jack first noticed my breasts."

Jack showed off his answer, proving his wife was absolutely correct.

In his own defense, he explained, "I couldn't help it. She was wearing this skimpy bikini and all I could see bobbing out of the water was her chest."

"Pig," Jed baited his brother.

"At least we got it right."

Jack and Kellie raised their glasses to each other and both took a drink.

Kate called on Millie next.

"I'll say my hair," she answered.

"Your HAIR?" Richard asked, incredulous. "Has any man ever been magnetized by hair?" He flipped his card to show what he had written - 'Her smile.'

Jack and Kellie continued to lead.

"This is an easy one," Kate convinced the men. "We're going to have the wives stand up and turn around. When we were picking questions and filling out our cards in the kitchen, we knew we had to choose this one just for laughs."

"Oh great," Jed grumbled. Choosing a question just to laugh at their husbands didn't inspire much confidence.

"How many of you can accurately describe the color of your wife's eyes?"

Maybe he was wrong, he thought. This would be a piece of cake. He never tired of looking into Abbey's eyes. They were a gorgeous shade of green, but of course she would never say 'green.' Nothing was just an ordinary color to Abbey. Red was ruby or cranberry. Purple was plum. Blue was turquoise or teal or sapphire. When it came to green, it was jade or...

"Hazel," he said.

Her back to him, Abbey heard his answer. She spun around with her card and a great big smile.

'Green,' she had written, assuming that Jed would stick to the primary colors, but delighted that he went a step further to say hazel. Husband and wife high-fived as Bob added another point under their names.

Millie put down the sandwich she was snacking on and stood up. "I'm challenging that win."

"On the basis of what? We both said green." Abbey challenged the challenge.

"Jed said hazel and hazel is light brown with golden flecks."

"It's green with golden flecks."

"Abbey, it's brown."

"Unless brown is the new word for the color green, you're wrong."

Millie addressed the hosts. "We need a ruling."

Jed grabbed the dictionary that sat on top of the girls' Scrabble game and flipped through the pages. Abbey and Millie flanked him as he read aloud. "It says that in eye color, hazel refers to pigments ranging from light brown to dark golden-green."

"Jed obviously meant green," Abbey assured everyone.

"He didn't say green; he said hazel," Millie countered.

Jed rolled his eyes. "The one time I use a fancy name, I get hammered on it."

"It would have killed you to have said 'green'?" Abbey razzed him.

"I was trying to think like you. And in fairness, the question did say to 'describe' the color of your wife's eyes. I assumed we were going for more than ordinary green."

Jack was confused about the need for technical terms. "Colors are colors. Why can't we stick to the basics? Eye color is either green, brown, or blue."

"There's a lot of variation," Kellie told her husband.

"Only to you, Abbey, Millie, and Kate," he pointed out. "To the rest of us, it's not nearly as complicated."

Kellie sighed, "This is why men didn't invent Crayola."

"We did invent Crayola," Jed informed her, happy to share his trivia. "There were eight colors in 1903 - black, green, violet, blue, orange, yellow, brown, and red. Some woman got her hands on it and suddenly, aquamarine popped up, then apricot, and salmon..."

"What the hell color is salmon anyway?" Richard chimed in.

"It's a light purple or something."

"Pink," Abbey corrected.

"Whatever it is, we don't care," Bob interrupted. "That question's too controversial. We're throwing it out."

"Jed and I didn't agree to that," Abbey argued.

"We're the hosts for this round. We get to make the decisions." He flashed a smile at his sister-in-law. "Next question for the men. What article of clothing would your wife want to eliminate from your closet?"

Jed took the spotlight again. "The yellow shirt I like with the hole near the hem."

Abbey shook her head disgustingly at that raggedy old shirt, which gave away her feelings before she flipped the index card to confirm. "The hole, by the way, was thanks to a cigarette burn."

Jed waved his hand. "It gave it character."

"It's got threads hanging off, one button left, and a ripped pocket."

"It's comfortable."

"It's shabby. Oh, and it's lime green by the way, not yellow."

"Feel better?" He was amused.

"Much," she said, good-humored about the whole thing. "I can't stand that shirt."

She took a sip of her Baileys as they claimed a point.

* * *

Round Three

The finger sandwiches and taco salad were gone. All that remained were chips, salsa, and a lot more alcohol than any of them needed. Everyone helped themselves, then reassembled for the next round. Even without the question that Bob threw out, Jed and Abbey had managed to run up their score and tie Jack and Kellie for the lead. They took over as hosts while Bob and Kate returned to the sofas.

"All right ladies..." Jed looked to the wives. "What habit of yours did your husband say he'd most like you to break?"

Kate briefly mulled it over and said, "My smoking."

Always the doctor, Abbey replied, "That's a good habit to give up even if it's not what he said."

"Hey, no interfering!" Jed nudged his wife.

"That was never a rule."

Bob turned his card. 'Her smoking,' he'd written.

Jed gave them a point.

Kellie answered next, "My impulsiveness."

Jack flashed his card with a frown. 'Her obsessive neatness' was his response.

Their score didn't budge.

It was Millie's turn then. "I occasionally speed when I drive"

Richard shook his head as he held up the card that said, 'Her shopping.'

"Shopping?" Millie couldn't believe that's what he'd change about her. "I don't shop that much."

"We have a thousand-dollar Visa bill that says otherwise."

"I hear you, man." Jed offered his support.

Abbey nudged him. "Hey, no interfering!"

Tit for tat. Jed cracked another smile. Maybe it was the alcohol that provoked it, but it felt good to tease Abbey again and to have her teasing him back. The past few days had been too lonely - for both of them. This game was just what they needed to ease the awkwardness between them and start them on the path toward restoring the harmony in their marriage.

"All right gentlemen," Abbey began with the next question in-hand. "What bill did your wife say she's most likely to keep from you?"

* * *

Round Four

"What's the exact amount of the last check you wrote and who was it made out to?"

It was Jack and Kellie's turn as hosts now and it was Abbey's turn to answer.

There was no way Jed could have gotten this right, she thought, not if she answered honestly. They'd have to take a loss on this one. She revealed reluctantly, "Filene's. One hundred, fifty-five dollars."

"When did you go to Filene's?" Jed asked her. On his card, he'd written '$22.00 for Ellie's clarinet teacher.'

"Yesterday, between surgeries."

"That's what, 15-20 minutes? You spent a hundred and fifty dollars in that amount of time?"

"It's called power shopping. If we're going to the Berkshires, I'm going to need something to wear to dinner."

He smacked his hands together, a joyful glint in his eye. "And we're back to the shopping discussion from the last round."

"Okay already!" Abbey cut him off. "You'll like what I bought."

"That's beside the point."

"What is the point?"

"You're under the impression I'm taking you some place nice for dinner. What if I planned to take you to McDonald's?"

"Then I'd be the glitziest-dressed patron there. I'm comfortable with that."

Jed gave her a bad time because it was fun, but he was positively pleased that she had bought herself a new dress, not just because he knew she'd look smashing in it, but also because it proved that although it had been a rough week, she was looking forward to their overnight trip to the Berkshires as much as he was.

Jack made it through all the couples, then Kellie turned to the men for their question.

"What was the name of the last person your wife was with before she dated you and why did they break up?"

An easy one for Jed. "Ron Ehrlich. She dumped him because she met me."

Of course he was right. Everyone in the room knew the history there, but Abbey was just as satisfied as she'd been on the other questions that won them points. She turned her card and gave her husband a flirty wink as they bagged another one.

Bob went next. "His name was Michael Gag...Gagne or Gagston or something and they grew apart."

Kate had written down the same on her card, but when Kellie approached the score board to award them their point, Abbey objected.

"I'd like to challenge that play."

"Why?" Kate asked.

"You grew apart?" Abbey balked at that. "His name was Michael Gallagher, it was your freshman year in college, and you told me you broke up with him because he pronounced it Lay-go instead of Leg-o."

Kate feigned outrage at her sister's ribbing. "You've obviously had too much to drink!"

"Don't make me prove it, little sister," Abbey tweaked her playfully.

"All right, maybe that is what I told you, but you should have known that wasn't the whole story. Anyway, our answers matched, that's all that matters."

"She's right," Jack and Kellie ruled, giving Kate and Bob their point. As hosts for this round, the call was theirs to make.

"Lay-go, Kate, Lay-go. It drove you nuts!" Abbey teased.

"Sometime, I'd like to hear more about this pronunciation peeve of yours," Bob piled on.

"Oh, you will, dear," Kate assured her husband, "Just as soon as I fill Jed in on all of Abbey's adventures in adolescence."

"I'm up for that!" There was nothing Jed liked more than tales of Abbey's youth.

Abbey looked at him, a pointed stare and a cocked brow. "Aren't you in enough trouble?"

He chuckled as he opened another beer. She could needle him if she wanted, he didn't care. He was being enticed with stories of her childhood and he'd goad Kate on all night long if it meant he'd get to hear them.

* * *

Round Five

Coming out of the final round, the score was tied between Jed and Abbey and Jack and Kellie. The two couples prepared for the tie-breaking round, each armed with Bartlet-powered determination to win the game.

Like every other round, the first question went to the ladies.

"What two sports teams would your husband most like to see play each other in the Super Bowl next January?"

Abbey knew this one. Jed had griped and moaned for days after the last Super Bowl. His beloved Patriots had taken such a beating, losing to their rivals from Chicago by 36 points. He would have killed for a rematch, then and now.

Confident in her response, Abbey proudly answered, "The New England Patriots and the Chicago Bulls."

Jed flinched.

"The BEARS," he shouted. "Not the Bulls. Bears. Bulls - basketball. Bears - football."

"Okay, okay!" Abbey held up her hands. "We can't all know everything!"

Millie went on. "Kellie, what's your answer?"

"Jack would enjoy nothing more than to see the New England Patriots take on the Chicago Bears again."

Thrilled, Jack held up his card.

"FOUL!" Jed called out.

"What foul?" Jack asked. "You don't call foul in this game. You challenge."

"Fine, I challenge what happened just now. The game is flawed. Kellie heard Abbey's reply and that gave her a chance to adjust her answer. Throw that question out!"

"Kellie would have said that regardless."

"There's no way to know that. She might have said the Chicago Bulls or, for all we know, the White Sox. That question has to go."

"Jed's right," Richard agreed, despite Jack's objection.

Jed gave his brother a boastful head bob before he drained his last bottle of beer.

"In the interest of fairness, we'll use another question as our tie-breaker." Millie faced the men. "Gentlemen, when was the last time your wife faked it in bed?"

"Seriously?" Jack went pale.

Millie chuckled. "No, I'm just kidding...although, that might be a good question to have on-hand in case we need it."

"If we do, I'm going to need more beer," Jed warned.

"Here's the real question. It's not too difficult. Who is your wife's celebrity crush?"

Jack couldn't have been happier. He knew very well how bad his brother was with names.

"No complaining on this one," he told Jed.

Jed thought of the movie he and Abbey had seen dozens of times. He remembered the name of the film, but for the life of him, he couldn't remember the name of the actor who starred in it. He snapped his fingers, trying to jog his memory. He could see the guy's face and a couple of times, he thought he had it, but just as he opened his mouth, he realized that he didn't.

Finally, he had to stop. Time was up. He had to give some answer and hope that Jack got it wrong too. Dismissively, he said, "It's the guy who starred in Apocalypse Now. I don't remember his name."

Another smile crossed Abbey's face as she flipped her card. Knowing her husband as well as she did, she hadn't written a name at all. Instead, she had written down, 'the star of Apocalypse Now.'

Husband and wife cheered.

"I'm gonna challenge that," Jack interrupted.

"What?"

"The question is clearly begging for a name."

"It didn't say anything about a name."

Abbey added, "And it's already been established, thanks to Kate and Bob, that as long as the cards match, that's all that matters."

Another point was added to their column. Their celebration, though, depended entirely on Jack's answer.

"Robert Redford," he said with about as much confidence as Jed.

Kellie's face immediately crumbled. 'Kevin Costner,' she'd written.

And with that revelation, Jed and Abbey won the game.

* * *

It was after midnight when Jed walked their guests to their cars. He returned inside to help Abbey stack the dishes in the washer and lock up the house before retiring upstairs for the night. While she changed her clothes and stepped into the bathroom to brush her teeth, he retrieved that now-infamous lime green shirt from the closet and framed himself in the bathroom doorway so Abbey could see him stuff it into a brown paper bag.

"Okay?" he said. "I'll take it to Goodwill on Monday."

"Are you going to pay them to take it off your hands?" Abbey teased.

"Yeah, you can have your fun now, but starting next week, it's my turn. You and I are going to work on football vocabulary!"

"I already apologized for that. And I said I'd watch the Super Bowl with you."

"Yup, and I'm going to teach you everything you need to know to enjoy it!"

"Hon, how much of a chance do you think there is that I'm going to enjoy it?"

"You will, just wait and see." He followed her to their bed. They had the house to themselves for once and Jed considered taking advantage of that, but he picked up on Abbey's cues. When she was in the mood to make love, she usually wore something sexy to bed. Tonight, she wore a pair of striped cotton shorts and an oversized tee that fell past her hips.

"What time do we have to pick up the girls tomorrow?" She climbed in and pulled a sheet over her legs.

"Ellie said noon." He turned off the lamp on the nightstand.

"I hope to be done at the hospital by then. Still want to be on the road by three?"

"Or earlier if possible."

"I'll do my best."

They were quiet for a few minutes, until Jed broke the silence.

"I didn't ask where Lizzie was spending the night."

"That must have killed you." Abbey realized he was thinking that Liz was with Doug.

"We're doing this new thing now, she and I. I'm supposed to back off and trust her to be a responsible adult."

"You don't even get to ask questions?"

"That wasn't part of the deal, but since I can't go to wherever she is and drag her out, I thought it was better for my blood pressure if I just didn't know."

Abbey chuckled. "Relax, she's sleeping at Tori's tonight."

Jed heaved a sigh of relief.

"Thank you." He was lying flat on his back and he stayed there for a few minutes longer, then turned on his side, his head still on the pillow. "Is it the alcohol or are we really on better terms tonight than we were this morning?"

"I think it's a little of both."

"I hate fighting with you, Abbey."

"It's not a walk in the park for me either," she told him.

"I'm sorry. I really am. I never wanted to hurt you."

She believed that. Jed made her mad at times, but she knew that he'd never intentionally hurt her. She turned onto her side to face him, her head on her pillow just like his. "I know."

"I tried to talk to you about it, I called you at your office, I sent you flowers, I tried to bring it up last night before bed. I don't know what else to do."

"It's not about doing something, Jed. I wasn't trying to get back at you by giving you the silent treatment. I did it because I was too angry to talk."

"Are you still angry?"

"Yeah..." she replied honestly. "But not talking doesn't solve anything."

"So talk to me."

"I can accept your apology. The problem is it doesn't change the lie."

"I can't erase the past. If I could, I would, but I can't, so how do we move on from here?"

"I don't know." He rolled away from her, onto his back again. "It wasn't just about you and me. If someone threatens to kill you, I have a right to know, if not because I'm your wife, then at least because I'm the mother of your children. How do we know the girls aren't being targeted?"

"They're not. Come on, you knew about the threat before. If you thought they were in any danger, you would have moved them out of the house and forbid Liz from working at the campaign. You trusted they were safe then. Nothing new has happened."

"Yes, it has - you lied to me. And it scares me that I couldn't tell. It made me doubt everything."

That phrase concerned him. "What do you mean everything? Do you doubt my love for you?"

"No."

"Do you doubt my commitment to you?"

"No."

"Do you doubt my fidelity?"

"No."

"Then you don't doubt everything. You doubt what I told you about the threat, which is understandable."

"Are you arguing semantics?"

"No, you just worried me for a minute." He took a beat. "If it'll help, you're welcome to call the FBI and ask them whatever you want. I'll give you the case number."

"I don't want to do that, Jed. I don't want to check up on you. I don't want us to be one of those couples."

"What do you want then?"

"I want this to be easy." She rolled onto her back again, staring at the ceiling fan above. "You had a point when you said that I've been running myself ragged at the hospital."

"July is always busy."

"It's worse this year. I brought it on myself with the residency drama. It's dominated my attention. I'm ashamed to admit it, but I didn't know that you didn't give you Seabrook press conference until you told me."

"I'm giving it on Monday."

Abbey nodded. "In the past, I've always kept track of things like that. This time..."

"You had your hands full."

"It's more than that. When we fought the other night, I realized that you and I have been out of step the past few weeks. We haven't spent more than an hour at a time together since the Fourth of July. In the mornings, it's rush, rush, rush. In the evenings, it's 'let's eat and go to bed so we can get up and do it all over again tomorrow.'"

"Yeah." Jed had already acknowledged that to himself. "We've been distracted, sort of living in our own respective worlds. It happens with us now and then. With all couples."

"All couples or just the ones where both partners have careers like ours?"

"It wouldn't matter what careers we had or if we had them at all. If it wasn't work, it'd be the kids. The only couples who don't have these issues now and again are the ones who lead identical lives, do the same exact thing - together - day after day. I'm glad that's not us. I'm glad we're not joined at the hip."

"We'd drive each other crazy...more than we do now." She grinned at him.

"I like coming home at the end of a long day and telling you what happened at work."

Abbey said quietly, "Except you haven't lately."

He stared at her for a couple of seconds. "I know."

"And neither have I."

"Why do you think I wanted us to get away this weekend?"

"Do you still want to?"

"What?"

"Do you want to go away for the whole weekend, not just one night."

"Of course I do. But you said you were too busy."

"I might be able to sweet-talk Dr. McArdle into covering my patients."

"And the interns?"

"It's the weekend. They'll get along without me for two days."

"Are you sure?"

She rolled back on her side and gave a nod. "This is more important."

Jed reached for her hand, praying she wouldn't pull away from him. She didn't. Her fingers threaded his and their eyes locked. "I'll never lie to you again. I made a terrible mistake and I regret it more than you'll ever know."

They faced each other, their bodies so close that their noses almost touched. It was impossible to hide anything in that position. Every thought, every feeling was on display. They talked in a near-whisper. Softly, intimately for another hour, until exhaustion kicked in and they both dozed off to sleep.

TBC


	15. Chapter 15

Series: Snapshots of the Past

Story: The Candidate's Daughter

Chapter 15

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Previously: Jed and Abbey's loved ones planned a couples' game night to try to lighten things up between them after their fight; Liz, Ellie, and Zoey all slept at their friends' homes to give their parents some private time; Ellie explained to Zoey that the worst thing you can do at a sleepover is fall asleep; Jed apologized again to Abbey, who was more accepting of his apology

Summary: Jed and Abbey enjoy their time in the Berkshires; at home, the girls deal with their own conflict; Abbey has her own apology for Jed

Rated NC-17

* * *

"Your turn," Abbey challenged her husband.

"Okay, give me a minute. This is going to be a good one."

"That's what you said last time."

Interstate 93 was busy for a Saturday morning. Abbey had called in some favors to get her patients covered so that she and Jed could hit the road much earlier than they planned. By 8:30 a.m., they had packed the car for their weekend getaway and were headed south toward the New Hampshire seacoast, where they'd cross the state line into Massachusetts. It was a three-hour drive to the Berkshires and like most road trips they took without the girls, they passed the time by playing the adult version of the license plate game.

"California," Jed said, spotting the state's plate on a car in front of them. "It's a brilliant winter day, snow everywhere, people skiing the mountain at Big Bear. You and me up on the ski lift..."

Abbey snickered. "That would never happen."

He looked at her, bewildered. "I'm sorry?"

"You're afraid of heights. You wanna pretend that you'd have the presence of mind to undress me and make love to me on a ski lift? You'd be plagued by anxiety."

"It's called a FANTASY, Abbey. I'm pretty sure I'm never gonna seduce you in the packed stands at the Kentucky Derby either, but you weren't the least bit fazed by that."

"I'm just saying, a little reality..."

"On the way to the Poconos when we played this game, you said I wasn't adventurous enough. I took that under advisement and now I'm not realistic enough for you. My God, are you ever pleased?" She snickered louder. "What?"

"You're just so cute when you're pouty."

"All right, you want a tryst that very well could happen, a tryst that I promise you I'll follow through on if you'll let me?"

"Yes."

"New York." He gestured out the windshield to the license plate of the car that had just cut them off. "I'd take you to the top of the Empire State Building to the outdoor promenade on the 86th floor observatory. I'd bend you over the railing so that you'd get a spectacular view of the lively city below while I lift up your skirt, pull down your underwear, and have sex with you over and over again."

"Heights, Jed, heights!"

"I'd overcome my fear to have sex with you on the observatory."

"I know you would," she said. "But for the sake of argument..."

"But for the sake of argument, if I didn't, we'd do it in the lobby."

"Amateur," she teased.

"There's an Ontario plate. Take it."

"Niagara Falls. On-board the Maid of the Mist. We're on the deck with crowds of people. I'd rip off your poncho, pull down your pants, and sink to my knees just as we hit the turbulent water on the approach to the Falls. The boat rocks back and forth and my mouth slides up and down your... " She trailed off when he swerved into the emergency lane and rolled to a stop. "Jed, what are you doing?"

"I need a minute."

"Are you sick?"

"No, I just need a minute."

"Do you want me to drive?"

"That would involve me getting out of the car to switch places with you and I feel comfortable in saying that's not something I can do right now."

It dawned on Abbey what he meant and her lips curved into a sly little grin. "Oh."

* * *

Back at home, Mrs. Wilburforce was gone for the weekend, so Jed and Abbey asked Elizabeth to babysit her sisters, which meant picking them up from their friends', taking Zoey to her riding lesson, helping Ellie fix the chain on her bike, and keeping an eye on them so they didn't burn down the house before their parents returned on Monday. Liz agreed to do it. Zoey and Ellie were fairly well-behaved and they'd both been extremely solicitous of her lately, so she assumed they would be little trouble.

Her first stop was Shelley Hamilton's house, where Zoey had spent the night. Liz parked on the curb and walked up the sidewalk to the porch to tap the door with the brass knocker. As soon as Shelley opened it, Zoey emerged, said her goodbyes and offered her thanks, then walked out glumly as she struggled to hold onto the overnight bag on her shoulder and sleeping bag tucked under her arm.

"How was it?" Liz asked, taking the sleeping bag from her on their walk to her car.

"Horrible!"

"Why?"

"I fell asleep!" A big faux pas, according to Ellie's advice the night before.

Liz laughed as she opened the passenger's side door for her sister.

* * *

It was quiet in the Bartlets' car. The license plate game proved to be too big a distraction to both of them, making it difficult for Jed to keep his focus on the road. They tried the radio, but the signal wasn't clear, which was fine by him since the only channel they got on that stretch of highway played contemporary music more suitable to Lizzie's taste than his or Abbey's. The route they chose took them from I-93 to 495, where they got off at Exit 22.

Jed then merged onto the Massachusetts Turnpike and as he traveled west, he couldn't help reminiscing about the first time he and Abbey took this drive. It was 1967. They'd been married only 24 hours and they were set to move to London less than a week after their wedding day, so they bucked convention and spent their honeymoon on the Appalachian Trail. It wasn't fancy, but it was private and romantic. Their days were spent hiking the valleys and hop-scotching rocks across the streams at the foothills of the mountains. At night, they went skinny-dipping in ponds and rivers to cool off and then fell asleep in each other's arms under a sky glittering with stars. It was just the two of them, relaxed, comfortable, and deeply in love. There were no distractions. No stress.

It was perfect, Jed remembered.

He glanced at Abbey out of the corner of his eye then. Nineteen years later and she was even more beautiful now than she was then. She was in the passenger's seat, flipping through a magazine, and instead of disturbing her, he took a moment to reflect quietly on how much he loved her before he turned his attention back to the road.

Several minutes of silence passed between them until Abbey looked up to direct her husband.

"2 B," she said, gesturing to their exit off the Mass Pike.

"...or not to be," Jed replied, whizzing right past the off-ramp. He caught her staring at him, a serious look that told him right away she wasn't quoting Shakespeare; she was pointing out their exit. "Oh."

"Yeah."

"I'll take the next one and turn around."

It was another ten miles to the next exit and when they reached it, a sign alerted them that there was no re-entry onto the interstate. Abbey bowed her head with remorse before Jed confronted her with the million dollar question - did she bring the map he'd asked her to pack?

* * *

"Watch me, Lizzie! Watch me!" Zoey called out to her sister as she balanced herself on top of her horse and prepared to maneuver a low-level jumping course.

"I'm watching, Zo!"

In the year and a half that Zoey had been taking riding lessons, Liz had gone with her only once and according to Zoey, that time didn't count because it was before their parents agreed to let her train competitively. She grew up watching Liz earn their father's pride as a seventh-grade volleyball champion, dunk her way to junior high basketball star, snag attention as the only freshman to make the varsity cheerleading squad in high school, and eventually claim her spot in school history by leading that squad to the national championships her senior year. She was good at everything, Zoey thought, and if she had taken riding lessons, she would have probably been good at that too. But outside the trails at the farm, Liz wasn't as interested in riding. Riding was Zoey's sport and she was thrilled to have it all to herself.

Excited to show off for her big sister, the ambitious six-year-old surveyed the course, cantered around in a circle, then cleared the first jump and looked back to see Liz's reaction.

* * *

Jed and Abbey were no strangers to weekend getaways. They loved their daughters and they cherished summer vacations as a family, but occasionally, they needed time to themselves to be nothing more than husband and wife for a few days. When Lizzie and Ellie were little and they couldn't stand to go too far away, they'd leave them with Abbey's parents and take off to a lakeside cabin on nearby Lake Winnipesaukee. Then Zoey came along and all three girls had so much fun with their doting grandparents that Jed and Abbey stopped feeling guilty for leaving them behind and ventured out to the larger Lake Champlain in Vermont, where Abbey used to vacation with her parents as a young girl, and the White Mountains of New Hampshire, where Jed used to hike with his Bartlet grandparents. They eventually visited the rolling hills of the Berkshires that straddled the Massachusetts/Connecticut state line, the tranquil island of Nantucket off the New England coast, and just last year, the majestic Poconos up in the mountains of Pennsylvania

The common theme in all their trips was simple - some hideaway where they could enjoy the great outdoors and each other's company for a few days without the responsibilities of everyday life. They had their own special place at each destination. At the lake, it was a cabin. In the Poconos, it was a rustic old cottage. In the White Mountains, depending on the season, they'd either camp out in a tent at one of the campgrounds or reserve a few nights at the romantic Mount Washington Inn. They'd rent a beach house on Nantucket for a weekend in the spring or summer, and in the Berkshires whether it was summer, fall, spring, or winter, an 18th Century mansion-turned-bed-and-breakfast was where they always stayed.

It was a three-story hilltop estate transformed into an old-fashioned country inn that sat at the end of a long and winding private drive just as secluded as the one that led to the Bartlet farmhouse. There were eight cozy guest rooms. Each had a fireplace and a terrace with breathtaking views of the Berkshire Mountains and the valleys down below. A stone-fenced garden out back bloomed with seasonal flowers, the apple orchard had a hammock, and the hiking trails that crisscrossed the property all merged on the lazy shores of a scenic mountain lake and the shimmering waters of the Housatonic River.

After their adventure on the local roads off the Mass Pike - where they drove in circles for a half hour until they found another on-ramp to the interstate - the Bartlets pulled up to the inn. Jed picked up the key at the front desk and they then hauled their bags to their room. It was noon and they were both hungry, but it was too gorgeous a day to blow it off inside, so they made their way downstairs to the gardenside dining room where breakfast was served every morning. Jed retrieved a picnic basket and an outdoor blanket while Abbey asked for a couple of sandwiches, fresh fruit, and juice to take with them on a hike. They packed their lunch and headed off toward the waterfront.

Downriver, the Housatonic was crowded with people swimming, fishing, boating, kayaking, and even white-water rafting. But there was a private little cove that stretched off the main river and onto the trails owned by the inn. That cove was usually deserted and that's why Jed and Abbey liked it. They had picnicked there in the past, once even spending an entire afternoon nibbling on snacks and listening to the soothing sound of small waves lapping the rocks along the shore. Abbey still had vivid memories of that day, five years earlier. Jed was an economics professor at Dartmouth and she had just graduated from her general surgery residency at Darthmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. He'd whisked her away to celebrate before she began her thoracic fellowship. It was just the two of them that weekend, no bigger issues or loose ends hovering over them, unlike now.

As much fun as she was having with Jed, she couldn't forget what happened between them in the past week. It wasn't that she couldn't forgive him for his lie. She already had, in bed the night before. They had stayed up talking when everyone left after couples' game night, and Jed apologized again for misleading her. Abbey let go of her anger, but there was more she wanted to say, an apology of her own she wanted to give and a confession of sorts about why his death threat launched her into the role of an overprotective wife, conspiring behind her husband's back to keep him safe from harm. If it hadn't been so late and they hadn't been so tired, she would have told him all that and more. But she kept it to herself and decided it could keep.

She never fooled Jed though. They were lying too close. He looked into her eyes and didn't see the tranquility that was always there when they made up from a fight. Instead, what he saw was the uneasiness of unfinished business. He knew her too well not to know that something big was weighing on her mind. But she said she wanted to sleep, so he backed off and waited for the right time to bring it up again. That right time seemed to be their picnic at the riverbank. Things were good between them, so good that he seized the opportunity to prod her in the interest of closure.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked.

"Nothing important." Abbey hadn't planned to broach the subject like this. It was a conversation they needed to have inside, in the privacy of their room, not on the banks of the river.

"It's about our fight," he guessed. "You can tell me, you know."

She did know, but she wasn't ready. She changed the subject instead. "It's really hot. What do you say we go for a swim?"

"I'm all for it, but we're not wearing our suits."

He was right. Their swimsuits were still packed in their bags up in their room and what they had on wasn't an adequate substitute. Jed was wearing a navy blue polo and a pair of khaki chino shorts. Abbey was dressed in a thin-strapped coral-colored tank and tan capris. Neither ensemble was appropriate for a dip in the river.

"Take off your shirt and give it to me," she told him as she peeled off her tank top and unclasped her bra.

"Okay." Jed never asked questions when Abbey suggested they get undressed.

"Thanks," she said as he handed her the shirt.

"You know, I remember a time when we used swim in the nude." He wiggled his brows at her.

"Is that a challenge?"

"Call it what you want, I'm just saying, you never used to be afraid of a little skinny-dipping."

"Easy there, gumdrop. We're not teenagers. You're not going to dare me into the water without any clothes."

He shrugged. "It was worth a shot."

Abbey pulled his shirt on over her head. It was big and roomy and fell below the top of her thighs. She left on her panties, kicked off her sneakers, and helped Jed do the same. He let her take the lead, untying his shoes and stripping off his socks. She pulled him up, then raced him to the water.

* * *

"LIZZIE?" Zoey skipped downstairs in a yellow ruffled bikini. She jumped the last step onto the bottom landing where she saw Ellie and Liz talking. "Wanna go swimming with me?"

Ellie interrupted before Liz could answer. "She can't, Zo. She promised she'd fix my bike and then we're going for a bike ride."

"No one told me."

"That's because you're not invited."

Zoey frowned. "Why not?"

"Because whenever the three of us do anything together, you hog all of Lizzie's attention."

"I do not!"

"Yes, you do!"

Zoey put her hands firmly on her hips and stood up to her older sister. "DO NOT!"

"DO SO!" Ellie mirrored Zoey's animation.

"All right, knock it off!" Liz stepped in the middle of the two younger girls. "What makes you think I want to do either of those things?"

"You have to," Ellie demanded.

"Why?"

"Because."

"Because nothing. I'm going to help you with your bike since I promised, but then I have to call Doug."

Zoey didn't like the sound of that. "You can't go out with Doug tonight! You're babysitting us!"

"Yeah, and I'll stay home with you, but it doesn't mean I can't talk to him on the phone."

"You can't," Ellie insisted. She closed up then, a little more contrite as she acknowledged that she and Zoey didn't have a leg to stand on bossing Liz around.

"What do you mean I can't?"

"Nothing."

Her suspicion piqued, Liz prodded. "Did Dad put you up to this? Did he tell you to keep me off the phone tonight?"

"No."

"Yes, he did. I can't believe this."

"No, Lizzie, he didn't. It has nothing to do with Dad," Ellie replied honestly. She then glanced at Zoey and decided to come clean. "It's about us. We want to spend time with you."

"We spent all morning together. I took Zoey to her riding lesson, picked you up from Wendy's, took you both out for lunch and ice cream, and now I'm fixing your bike. What more do you want?"

"The whole day?" It was more of a question than a statement.

"Why?"

"Because you're our sister."

"I've always been your sister and neither of you have ever been this clingy."

"Sure we have!" Zoey had a big proud smile on her face when she said that.

"Not like this. What's going on?" Liz looked to Zoey first. "Well?" Then Ellie. "Come on, El. Spill."

"You're going to college soon and you're never home anymore. You told us you'd take us to the planetarium this summer and you haven't. You said you'd take us to Boston so we could visit the Aquarium and you bailed on that too."

"You didn't even help me with the signs for my lemonade stand even though you said you would!" Zoey added.

"And you're always working at Dad's office or you're going out with Doug," Ellie went on. "We don't even see you for dinner lots of nights."

Liz was touched that they missed her. "I'm sorry about all that. But you have to understand it's a big summer for me. I love being at the office. You'll know what I mean when you're older. Dad'll teach you all the stuff that he's teaching me and you'll get it."

"Get what?"

"Why it's so important and why it takes up so much time."

"Maybe, but we're talking about now and right now, we don't get it. And we don't get why you have to see Doug every night either."

"He's my boyfriend."

"So? You've had other boyfriends."

"Doug's my first serious boyfriend. When you're in a serious relationship, you spend a lot of time together. That's just how it is."

"But you're in a serious relationship with us too." Zoey's statement sounded more like a plea, a plea to get Liz to understand where she and Ellie were coming from.

"It's not the same." Liz gave a good-humored laugh until she saw Zoey's disappointed reaction to her flippant response. "Sorry, I thought you were kidding. Look guys, it's complicated. You probably won't understand until you're older and you have a boyfriend of your own."

Ellie shook her head. "I would never ignore you for a boy."

"I'm not ignoring you."

"That's what it feels like."

"But it's not what I'm doing. I'd never ignore you guys." Liz's stare moved from Ellie to Zoey. "I wouldn't."

"If you say so," Ellie muttered softly as she moped out of the room.

Liz watched with a flush of guilt as Zoey followed. In times of self-reflection, the thought occurred to her that she was turning into one of those girls whose life revolved around her boyfriend. She blamed it on first love and the excitement of feelings she'd never felt before. She had her reasons for skipping out on her sisters, she reasoned. After all, she was at work most days and she rarely saw Doug when she was there. Relationships took effort. They needed time to nurture and grow. But as Zoey and Ellie walked out on her that day, she was hit with a hard dose of reality and she wondered just how many excuses she could make for her behavior before they sounded like rubbish even to her.

* * *

Jed and Abbey had different ideas of relaxation. They had spotted a couple of abandoned tubes on the riverbank and since Abbey enjoyed tubing, they grabbed them. There was no chatter between them, no artificial noise to disrupt the sounds of nature and the rolling rapids in the distance. For Abbey, riding an inner tube that floated effortlessly along the water's calm surface was peaceful. For Jed, it was annoying. He was a man used to doing things, even on vacation, which is why their annual trip to the national parks was always packed with hikes and bike tours. When he wasn't in constant motion, he liked to keep his mind busy by reading or talking. Even canoeing or sailing appealed to him, but drifting silently on individual tubes among the lazy swells on the outskirts of that cove was boring, as far as he was concerned.

"How long are we going to do this?" he asked.

"You're not having fun?"

"Oh, I'm having a grand old time. It's Party City USA over here."

"Sounds like someone needs a nap," Abbey mocked him.

"I'm about to take one out of sheer boredom. We should go white-water rafting or swim downriver into the rapids."

"Rapids are overrated."

"You really find this stimulating?"

"My friends and I used to do this all time when we were growing up."

"Where?"

"The Winooski River."

In Vermont, where Abbey spent grade school, Jed remembered. "Do you find it humorous that you drop little gems about your youth into everyday conversation, but if your sister or parents bring them up, you hush them right away?"

"I never noticed."

"Of course you did. Sometimes I think you do it on purpose."

"For what reason?"

"To entice me."

"Entice you how?"

"By keeping me on my toes, suspicious and wondering. We were together two years before I found out you were a pirate."

He grinned when she raised her sunglasses to give him the glare she always gave when he called her a pirate.

"I was never a pirate."

He knew, but he didn't care. The image of it was sexy. "You descended from pirates."

"Not a pirate. A privateer."

"And last night during the game, Kate was about to bring up your adolescent adventures until you shut her up." He narrowed his eyes and feigned suspicion. "Is there something else in your past you haven't yet told me about?"

"What do you think?"

"I think if I married a reformed bank robber, I deserve to know."

Abbey raised her brow and said cryptically, "A little mystery never hurt anyone."

"This coming Tuesday, we will have been married 19 years. There is no mystery anymore."

She flipped her sunglasses back on. "Sure about that?"

He didn't miss the sultry way she asked that question. She was playing with him and the only thing he could do was play along. "Oh yeah, I'm sure."

Jed dove into the river then and swam toward her. The water temperature couldn't have been more than 75 degrees on that hot July day, but instead of cooling him off, he considered it positively balmy and that was fine since all it did was promote the lascivious thoughts that had been running through his mind since they left New Hampshire. He popped his head out of the water and reached under her donut-shaped tube to the circular opening in the center, his hands poised to fondle her rear.

"JED!" Abbey giggled. "What are you doing?"

He snuck his hand into her panties. "Whatever I want. You don't get to flirt with me and not expect some payback!"

"I wasn't flirting."

"Please. If that lash-fluttering thing you just did had been any more prominent, you would have sprained an eyeball."

"My lashes weren't fluttering. The sun was in my eyes because I was toying with my sunglasses."

"I'll give you something to toy with," he said as he ducked underwater.

His tone was unmistakable. He was about to have his way with her and just the thought of it had Abbey squirming. They were alone in the river and still, it felt a little taboo, like when they were newlyweds on the Appalachian Trail, skinny-dipping in the moonlight or making love in a tent they had pitched yards from the nearest campground. They were a lot less self-conscious about it back then. Deeply in love and lusting after his new bride with urges he'd only recently discovered, Jed claimed he didn't care who heard them, or saw them, for that matter. He wasn't quite so careless now. He couldn't be as a well-known congressman. But Abbey realized he counted on the anonymity and privacy they had come to expect in the Berkshires.

His head bobbed out of the water again and she laughed as he continued to probe her most intimate parts. Her feet kicked at the ripples in the current and when his finger slipped inside her, she thrashed so violently that she nearly hit him. Jed was too turned on to care even if she had. She wiggled all over the tube. His finger relentlessly darted in and out of her and she eventually tipped herself over. Standing to confront him face-to-face, she looked so good in that wet polo shirt she wore. His shirt. It now clung to her body. He wanted to rip it right off her, but he thought removing her panties was a safer bet since her lower half was submerged underwater, hidden in case anyone happened to wander by. With one tug, they went down her legs.

Not only did Abbey not mind, she stepped out of them and instigated the next move. She pulled his shorts down and wrapped her naked legs around him. Jed bent his knees, tucked his hands under her rear to lift her, then lowered her onto his shaft. Abbey held her breath at the point of contact and bit her lip when he pierced and stretched her. Standing up straight, he looked into her eyes before he thrust himself up. She lowered one leg to get more leverage and Jed held up her opposite thigh. Over and over again, he penetrated her, each thrust harder than the last. Her hands locked behind his neck and she leaned back slightly to feel the friction where she needed it most. The sensations became more powerful, rising to an overwhelming climax. She grabbed him tighter, pushed her body into his, and sunk her teeth into his shoulder to muffle her scream.

Jed moved gently inside her for the next few minutes while she caught her breath. He couldn't always wait for her to reach orgasm first, but if he did, he sometimes felt her erotic aftershocks when it was over. Abbey knew that's what he wanted now. She held him and kissed him as she rocked back and forth. Her feminine walls tightened around him and within seconds, multiple spasms sent him quickly over the edge.

* * *

Having laid out the ingredients for a banana split on the counter, Elizabeth retrieved a suitable dish from the cupboard and a gallon of Neapolitan ice cream from the freezer. She placed two halves of the banana in the dish, added a scoop of chocolate ice cream, followed by a scoop of vanilla, and a scoop of strawberry side-by-side, then drizzled them with chocolate, pineapple, and strawberry syrup. She sprayed some whipped cream over the top, sprinkled some nuts, and topped it with a cherry.

Now came the hard part.

"Ellie, Zoey," she hollered upstairs to her sisters.

"What?" they hollered back down.

"I have a surprise for you."

Zoey was the first one there. All it took was the word 'surprise' for her to charge into the kitchen. "What surprise?"

Liz presented the banana split and offered her a spoon, but made her promise she would wait for Ellie. Using sweets as a peace offering was something she learned from her father. Over the years, Jed had gotten a lot better at dealing with conflict with his children, but as a new dad who wanted his daughters' love and wasn't yet secure in his role as a parent, he frequently snuck them lollipops and other candy to make up for life's disappointments.

That technique still worked on Zoey, but to Liz's dismay, it no longer worked on Ellie.

The hesitant blonde shuffled her feet after she came down the stairs and entered the kitchen. "What?"

"Ice cream, that's what." Liz gave her a spoon and picked up a third for herself.

"No thanks. I'm not hungry."

"You don't have to be hungry for ice cream!" Zoey told her, excited for her first bite.

Liz, meanwhile, took a more serious approach. It troubled her that Ellie, the queen of junk food, was upset enough to turn down a banana split. "Ellie, I thought about what you said and I want to talk about it."

"What is there to talk about?" Ellie questioned. "You think we don't understand because we're not as old as you and we don't have boyfriends."

"That's not what I meant. Okay, maybe it is what I meant, but not in a mean way. It doesn't matter. None of it matters because you were right. I'm leaving for college soon and I haven't been around much."

"So we agree."

"But I'm here tonight and if you're up for it, we could do stuff."

"Like what?"

Liz glanced over at Zoey sitting at the table. "We could have our own little slumber party and keep Zoey up all night so she'll know what it's all about the next time she's invited to a sleepover."

Zoey climbed up on her knees. "Yeah, let's do that!"

"We have the whole house to ourselves so we can be as loud as we want. We could play Truth or Dare and trade secrets or watch movies and pig out on cookies and ice cream, the way we used to when we were younger. We'll do whatever you want. I'll even crimp your hair if you want me to."

All that sounded better than ice cream to Ellie. Her feelings were hurt and she needed her sister's reassurance that she was still an important part of her life. "You will?"

"Yeah. And next Saturday, I won't go into the office and I won't see Doug either. I'll take you guys to the planetarium, like I promised, and maybe in a few weeks, we'll take that trip to the Aquarium in Boston."

"You mean it?" Ellie waited for Liz's nod before she got her hopes up. "Okay."

"Good." A relieved and smiling Liz handed her a spoon and dragged her to the table. "Come on, before it melts."

"Lizzie?" Ellie got a familiar twinkle in her eye as she sat down and dug into the ice cream.

"Yeah?"

"Will you let me borrow your new lace headband with the bow?"

"Don't push it."

* * *

Jed took the grand staircase at the inn two steps at a time, hustled downstairs to meet the taxi, and sprinted back up to get Abbey.

There was a certain glow about him that evening. It had been a stressful month for him on the campaign trail and his fight with Abbey had made life much more difficult. But now that they were back on-track, it felt like the world was on an even keel again and there was no mistaking his brighter mood. The plans for the night were set - dinner at a swanky restaurant in town, then a 10-minute drive to Tanglewood, the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, a favorite of his and Abbey's.

He burst through the door of their room. "The cab's waiting. Are you read..."

She wore a form-fitting nude cocktail dress that had a navy blue lace overlay lightly studded with royal blue crystals to give it a touch of sparkle. Jed was speechless when he saw her sitting on the bed so casually. He extended his hand to help her up so he could examine her from head to toe. The dress fit her like a glove, hugging every curve of her figure. Thick blue lace straps crossed her shoulders and a plunging v-neck showed off a bit of cleavage. She'd left her hair down in sexy waves that framed her face, and shining from behind those waves were a pair of genuine sapphire earrings he'd given her for her birthday one year.

"That's the dress you bought the other day?" he asked.

"Told you you'd like it." She spun around for him.

"That's an understatement. You look amazing." He held out his arm for her. "Let's go show you off."

"Wait! Before we go, can we talk?" Abbey sat back down on the bed and urged him to sit beside her.

"Yeah." He followed, concerned now. "What is it? Is it the girls?"

"No, no, I just called them. They're fine. They're giving each other makeovers."

"Then what's wrong?"

"It's us."

Jed was afraid of that. She said she forgave him, but now he feared that she was still angry. "Abbey, I don't know how many more times I can tell you how sorry I am for what I did. I swear, I never wanted to..."

Abbey cut him off. "It's not you. It's me. I keep going over what you said the night I came to your office."

"I was defensive that night. I knew I was busted for lying to you and I tried to shift the blame. Whatever I said, I didn't mean it."

"Yes, you did. You meant it when you said one of the reasons you lied to me was because I was hovering...and you were right. You shouldn't have done what you did, but I have to give you that point. I went behind your back twice, once to schedule myself on your trip and once to hire that bodyguard. I was wrong to do those things."

Jed took her hand. "It's okay."

"No, Jed, it's not, because we haven't talked about it."

"We don't have to talk about it. I understand why you did it. You were worried about me, that's all."

"It's not as simple as that." Her eyes dulled with concern. "We worry about each other from time to time, like all people who love each other do, but this was different. When you told me that someone threatened to kill you, something happened inside of me. I got scared."

"That's understandable."

"I don't mean scared the way your smoking scares me. It was worse, a lot worse. It scared me so badly that I had a couple of nightmares about it, about losing you."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"You were so nonchalant about the threat and I guess I didn't want to dissect my dreams because I'd have to admit how helpless I felt. I couldn't stand it. If something ever happened to you..."

"Nothing is going to happen to me."

"But if it did..."

"It won't."

"If it did, my life would be over!" she blurted out. "I'd go on for the girls, but I couldn't live any kind of life without you."

Jed pushed her hair off her face and kissed her, a short yet loving kiss. As they broke apart, he made a vow. "Nothing is ever going to happen to me. I won't let it."

Abbey paused for a beat. She took a breath, then replied, "I know these things aren't that unusual for elected officials, but it had never happened to us before. When it did, I got carried away with trying to protect you. I'm sorry that I overreacted. I didn't plan too, it just happened."

"I know. It was impulse."

"That's exactly what it was. I wanted to keep you safe and I didn't think about the consequences of what I was doing, kind of like you diving into the ocean after me in Egypt. You didn't care if you were attacked by sharks or if you died, as long as you were able to save me."

"Hmm." He looked pleased to hear that.

"What?"

"Nothing, it's just that usually when you tell the Egypt story, you set me up as the villain."

"That's because you were the villain," she teased. "But just this once, you can play the hero."

She rarely missed an opportunity to badger him about how he accidentally threw her into shark-infested waters when they were touring the Red Sea on a glass-bottom boat. He had jumped in after her and shielded her from the sharks by wrapping his own body around hers and still, that didn't immunize him from her playful ribbing. But she was being serious now, sharing feelings she hadn't shared before. It was time for honesty and if she was going to be honest, she'd have to bring up the Egypt story to help him understand that the fierce love he felt for her, the love that drove him to protect her at all cost, was the kind of love that drove her to do the same.

"Anyway," she went on. "The point is, I wasn't intentionally trying to mother you. It was an unfortunate consequence of trying to protect you."

"I knew you were worried, Abbey. That's why I lied." He felt another wave of guilt about that. "It was a foolish way to handle things. If had sat you down and talked to you instead - I mean really talked - I could have eased your fears and this whole thing could have been avoided."

"I don't know about that. We talked after the incident with your staff, but nothing you said or did made me feel better, not until you told me they found the guy. It wasn't the right thing to do and I'm asking you to never do it again, but if I'm being honest, I can understand why you did."

"All the same, it was unfair. I regret it more than I can say."

"Do you mean that?"

"Yes, of course I do."

"Good, because I can deal with all the changes in our lives since your first campaign - I'm getting better at sleeping alone at night when you're in Washington, at seeing you only on the weekends when congress is in session, at standing by and watching the press hound you after every vote, I'm coping with all that - but the thing I'm struggling the most with is this and I know the possibility exists that it'll happen again. Someday, you might get another death threat. It's yet another facet of public life and I get that, but I'm having trouble dealing with it and I'm afraid that because of that, you'll be hesitant to tell me these kinds of things in the future."

"I won't keep something like this from you...ever," Jed promised. "I don't have much of a right to ask you this, considering, but do you trust me?"

Abbey nodded. "Do you trust me?"

"I have no reason not to."

"Yes, you do. Like I said, I went behind your back and the bottom line is that you were right. I hover too much, not just when it comes to your campaign, but in general."

He smiled at her affectionately. "Yeah, but I'm used to that."

"I'm serious. I know I can be overbearing at times. I worry about you for a lot of reasons. You smoke, your diet is atrocious, you don't get enough exercise, your sleep patterns are concerning, and you're too stressed out."

Outlining his flaws was an interesting tactic, he thought. "If this is leading to an apology of some sort, I'd love it if we'd get there."

"Because I worry about all that, you feel you have to sneak your cigarettes or junk food, like a teenager hiding something from a parent. That's not the kind of relationship I want to have with you."

"Maybe I exaggerated a little about the smoking and the burgers. I wasn't intentionally keeping it from you. It just never came up. If you had questioned me about those things, I would have told you."

"Really?" She was relieved to hear that.

"Really."

"Okay. And since we're being honest, I should tell you that I know about your pack of cigarettes at the office. I've known for a while."

"Yeah, I figured. I was waiting for you to call me on it."

"I hate that you smoke, but I hate fighting about it even more. You don't have to hide it from me, Jed."

"After the campaign, I'll cut down again, I promise."

"I won't harass you about it." She gave a slight grin then. "The chocolate frosted donuts you buy on your way to work, those we have to discuss."

Jed chuckled as he stood and helped her up. "That conversation will have to wait. We're paying a fortune on the meter." His hands clasped in hers, he looked her in the eye. "Are we okay?"

"Yeah."

"Are you sure?" She nodded. "Good." He turned to his side and she slipped her fingers into the crook of his arm. "Now, about the incident in Egypt..."

"You threw me to the sharks, Jed. No amount of sweet-talk is going to change the way I tell that story."

"That's a shame. I hate to see you so confused about what really happened."

Abbey rolled her eyes as they strolled arm-in-arm out of their room.

TBC


	16. Chapter 16

Series: Snapshots of the Past

Story: The Candidate's Daughter

Chapter 16

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Previously: Jed and Abbey had a chance to unwind and talk in the Berkshires, giving Abbey the opportunity to apologize to Jed for her part in their fight; Ellie and Zoey felt ignored by Liz

Summary: Politically, Jed is pushed into a corner; Abbey discovers an ally to help her deal with hospital politics; Liz finishes her last day in the finance office; when Ellie asks for new ski boots, she's disappointed to learn that Abbey thought she wanted something else

* * *

August 1986  
Washington, D.C.

At quarter after three on a Tuesday afternoon, Jed was killing time in his fourth-floor office in the Rayburn House Office Building by completing a New York Times crossword puzzle. It was rare that he was late for a vote, but this was no ordinary vote. This was a vote on a sex education program that offered funds to school districts that supplied free condoms for high school students. He didn't have a problem with the spirit of the bill. His objection was reserved for the details - no education, despite the title. In a time when AIDS was flourishing among sexually active teenagers, and girls were becoming teen moms at a rapid pace, he felt a program that didn't at least address those issues was worthless and he had refused to attach his name to it.

But something changed in the two months since his staff first urged him to vote with his party. He learned other Democrats, including his nemesis and author of the sex-ed bill, Ernie Bennett, were prepared to lock in their support for the IRA overhaul Jed had been pushing. It would be an even exchange, they vowed - his support for theirs. The offer gave Jed a dilemma that kept him up at night. Sex education was important to him, not only as a Catholic but as a congressman and more significantly, as a father. On the other hand, as an economist and a member of the House Labor Committee, he predicted a retirement disaster looming and he couldn't look the other way.

He was initially torn. There were no easy answers in politics, no shortcuts to doing what he was sent to Washington to do, he knew that. Votes were traded all the time on the Beltway and politicians had to learn that sometimes, they had to stand up for a measure they didn't truly believe in to get a more important bill passed. The greater good, that's what it was about. Jed reminded himself of that as he came to the conclusion that securing retirement funds for the millions of Americans on the cusp of leaving the workforce was worth his concessions on sex ed. For now, anyway. He mapped out a plan to expand Bennett's program when the new congress was sworn in in January and in the meantime, he'd have to swallow his objections and vote the party line.

That didn't mean he would make it easy. He glanced at the clock several times, realized his colleagues were probably doing the same as they nervously waited for him to show up. It was petty and childish, but Bennett giving him grief for the past two years only to turn around and back him into a corner to bag a vote he knew Jed was against in the first place, wasn't exactly the pinnacle of civility either. Jed wanted him to sweat it out before he showed up to save his bill, and the way to do that was to stall for as long as it took to finish the crossword puzzle.

His staff wasn't pleased.

"Congressman?" Samantha tapped on the door, then popped her head inside.

"Yeah?"

"Don't you think it's time?"

"Another minute or two." Jed respected Samantha. As Communications Director, she was an invaluable member of the team, though she often clashed with her boss on strategy. Jed liked that she felt free to offer her counsel, even when he disagreed with her. He liked that she wasn't intimidated by him.

"If the point was to scare Bennett into thinking you weren't coming, I think that's been accomplished."

"The point wasn't to scare anyone."

"Then why aren't you out there?" she asked.

Jed set down his pencil, stood and picked up the suit jacket he had flung over the back of his chair.

"When I was teaching at Dartmouth, there was this thing the students held the professors to. The 'ten-minute rule,' they called it. If a professor didn't show up within the first ten minutes of class, they were allowed to leave. I taught this Intro to Economics class one year for non-majors. The class was packed with grade-grubbing gunners. They didn't care about learning; they were just looking for ways to pad their academic resume and they'd heard a vicious rumor around campus that I was an easy grader when it came to non-majors, so they all flocked to this section I taught at 2 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. One day, I hung out in my office and watched the clock. At 2:09, I made my way down to the lecture hall. The students, of course, were counting down the seconds because at 2:10, they were free to go. I stood out in the hall and just when the little hand hit the 30-second mark at nine after two on my watch, I strolled in with a pop quiz. You should have heard their grumbles."

"You did that just for kicks?" She trailed him out of his office as he began the walk to the House chamber.

"Yeah. See, the point isn't to scare people. Sometimes, the point is just to have a little fun with them."

* * *

Manchester, New Hampshire

"He let me hold it! I got to hold a human heart!"

In a fresh pair of scrubs, Abbey finished up her patient orders at the nurse's station, a few feet away from a conversation she couldn't help but overhear. It was Dr. Baker and Dr. Howell, both interns trading notes on what they were learning only two months out of medical school. She listened for a second, then decided it was time to interrupt.

"It was BEATING in my hands..."

Abbey approached. "Dr. Baker, I thought I sent you home hours ago."

"You did, but Dr. O'Neil let me assist in surgery."

"After I sent you home. Dr. O'Neil is a resident. I'm your attending. I know how long you've been up and when I tell you you're off-duty, I expect you to leave the hospital and get some sleep."

"I'm wide awake."

"Not here you're not. Not around the patients. Go home." She hated crushing his enthusiasm, but she couldn't apologize for setting standards and putting the patients first. Baker had been working nearly 36 hours straight and being an intern, he was prone to mistakes anyway. He needed to be alert and focused at all times, especially in the O.R.

"Fine, I'll go," he said, annoyed as he and Howell walked away.

"And the next time Dr. O'Neil contradicts me, let me know about it." Abbey turned then and ran directly into the new doctor in town.

"Sorry," he said. Alexander Foster, a cardiothoracic surgeon who had trained at Yale before moving to New Hampshire.

"My fault."

"Dr. Bartlet, right?"

"Yeah."

"Is something wrong? You seem upset."

"No, nothing," Abbey insisted, brushing past him.

"I heard about what you're doing." He waited until she spun back around to look at him. "With the work hours. Cutting back with the interns and residents. I heard all about it."

"Who did you hear it from?"

"Hospital gossip mill. Everyone's talking about it."

"If you're going to give me a litany of reasons it won't work, I'd appreciate it if you'd save it for another time."

"I wasn't going to do that at all. I was going to say I agree with you."

"You were?" she asked, skeptical.

"Many years ago as a second-year resident, I lost a patient I think I could have saved had I not been so tired. I'd worked a 48-hour shift. I was on my way out of the hospital when he coded. I tried to help, but with massive sleep deprivation, you're not as sharp as you otherwise would be."

"I'm sorry."

"Me too. I was more sorry for his family."

To say that Abbey was relieved to have finally found someone who agreed with what she was doing was an understatement. Most days, it felt like she was fighting this fight completely alone. Dr. Foster, a man she barely knew, was exposing himself as an ally and suddenly, she felt a twinge of gratitude.

* * *

At Bartlet for Congress headquarters, Elizabeth tried to make it through the day while battling a sinus infection. She'd had them in the past and while they were never serious, they were always a nuisance. Her mother had given her the name of a colleague who practiced internal medicine in downtown Manchester, but Liz had yet to make an appointment. She was in the transition period, Abbey thought - too old for her pediatrician but not yet established with another physician - and Liz didn't correct her. She hadn't told either of her parents that she had her own doctor. If she did, she feared they might be suspicious and maybe even guess that the girl who had to be dragged kicking and screaming to the doctor's office all her life had now taken initiative and found her own doctor because she was sexually active and needed someone to prescribe the birth control pills. It was just paranoia, she tried to convince herself. How would anyone know that she and Doug had become intimate? But despite logical thought, she avoided the issue, afraid that somehow, her feelings for Doug would give her away.

"You're not fooling anyone."

Startled, Liz looked up at her uncle. "What?"

"You're sick," Jack explained. "You can say you don't feel sick all you want, but you look worse than you did this morning."

"It's just a little congestion. I'm not contagious."

"No, but you feel like hell. It's written all over your face. Why won't you go home?"

"I have stuff to do."

"You're just as stubborn as your father. Has anyone told you that?"

"Everyone."

"Look, I'll finish up here and you can repay me by helping out with your dad's call sheet this weekend. Deal?"

"I hate making calls."

"I know." He grinned. "Go home and get some rest. You need to make a good impression tomorrow."

"Why?"

"It's your first day in communications."

"Really?"

"Yeah. You paid your dues. Your month in finance is over. Just make sure when you look back on it, you admit it wasn't nearly the horror show you thought it would be."

"Cross my heart." She chuckled. He was right. The finance office wasn't as bad as she feared.

"Good. Now get outta here!"

She didn't need to hear it twice. Happy to be done for the day, Liz gathered her things and headed for the door.

* * *

Abbey had carved out a routine that worked for her at the hospital. She had her own way of doing things and she rarely deviated from her habits. She always did her evening rounds in professional wear, never in scrubs. In clinic, she tried not to stack appointments and keep patients waiting all afternoon. In surgery, she always sent a member of the team out to update anxious family members as soon as there was any news. And when it came to jewelry, it was a non-s in the O.R. Her engagement ring4self. would pierce her gloves and her wedding ring would just get in the way, so on the days she was operating, she left her rings at home or she locked them away in a drawer in her office.

At first, her fingers felt bare without them, but after 11 years as a practicing surgeon, she was used to it. On that Tuesday evening, she barely gave it a second thought. She changed out of her scrubs and into a pair of gray slacks and a teal shell, grabbed her white coat, and left the locker room to complete her rounds before going home for the night.

"Dr. Bartlet!"

She had made it halfway down the hall when she stopped. Dr. Foster picked up his pace to catch up to her. "Hi."

"We talked earlier, but we haven't had a formal introduction." He extended his hand. "Alex Foster."

Abbey returned the gesture. "Abbey Bartlet."

"I'd love to pick your brain about this night float system you want to get off the ground. Join me for a cup of coffee in the lounge?"

"I have rounds."

"Can they wait 15 minutes? I thought if we exchanged some ideas, we could lobby Robert Nolan together."

"You're serious about this?"

"I told you I was," he said. "Come on, we'll talk fast."

"All right, but make it 10 minutes."

Alex ushered her into the physician's lounge and poured two cups of coffee, offering one to her as she took a seat on an overstuffed chair against the wall. He took the chair directly across from her and just as he promised, he got right to the point. Her ideas intrigued him, mainly because he believed in a work-hour restriction on residents almost as much as she did, and he was ecstatic that someone was willing to take it on. The fact that that someone was Abbey Bartlet only enticed him more.

He'd only met her that day, but Alex admired Abbey. She wasn't just spouting figures at him, the way so many politicians had done in the two years since Libby Zion's death. Abbey spoke of her own experiences as an exhausted and overworked resident who sometimes fell asleep in her parked car before leaving the hospital. The more he heard, the more he realized how similar their stories were and how important their cause was.

But there was something else on his mind that night. He tried to focus solely on what she was saying, but if he claimed not to have noticed the way she said it, he'd be lying. Her emerald green eyes sparkled with conviction, her passion seeping through every word. He liked smart, strong women who weren't afraid to stand up for what they believed, women who refused to shrink away in the face of opposition or allow themselves to be intimidated by disagreement. It was crystal clear that Abbey was one of those women.

Alex listened attentively and when she paused, he stole a quick glance at her hand.

No wedding ring.

He smiled.

* * *

"I'll let you know what they say. Bye."

Ellie hung up the phone, bounded down the steps, and raced into the kitchen to talk to her sister. Dressed in her bathrobe, Liz sat at the table with a towel wrapped around her head. She had a steaming hot bowl in front of her and she leaned over it to take in the steam and let it work its magic on her congestion.

"Will you help me with something?" Ellie asked.

"What?"

"I need new ski boots."

"It's August."

"Duh, I know. But school starts in a month and me and Wendy are joining the ski club as soon as it does."

"So?"

"So I don't want to sign up if I can't get new ski boots."

"What's the big deal? You were in ski club last year," Liz reasoned. "You have ski boots."

"Yeah, but that was elementary school. Those boots were fine for learning how to ski. This is junior high! It's a whole new world!"

"And? What do you want from me?"

"Help me convince Mom and Dad. There's no way I can pay for them with allowance money and I want to know I'll have new boots before I sign up for the club."

"They'll never say yes when your old pair is only a year old."

"That's where you come in."

"No."

"Come on, Lizzie! I hardly ever ask you for anything."

"In what universe is that true?"

"Please, I need your help."

"Ellie, I've got my own problems. I'm seeing Doug tomorrow night and I'm trying to think of a way to uninvite him to Dad's surprise party without hurting his feelings."

"Why'd you invite him in the first place?"

"It was weeks ago, back when everyone was getting along."

"Why do you wanna uninvite him now?"

"Because Dad hates his guts. And Doug's not too fond of Dad either. The last thing I want is another blow-up."

"If they both hate each other, why would Doug even want to come?"

"He's weird like that, okay? He's coming because he thinks I want him to, and if I tell him I don't, I'm afraid he'll be hurt."

"Then tell him we canceled the party, tell him Dad had to stay in Washington for a few weeks."

"And when he reads the paper and sees Dad on the campaign trail here in New Hampshire, what then?"

"Does Doug even read?" Liz gave her a pointed stare and Ellie shrugged. "Tell him that you didn't know he was back."

"That's ridiculous, he's never going to believe that we live in the same house and somehow, I was completely unaware that Dad was back."

"Lizzie, it's DOUG."

"That's not funny. He's not stupid."

"Fine, I don't know what you should tell him, but if you help me with my problem, I promise I'll think about it."

Liz paused for a beat, then replied, "All right, what do you want me to do?"

Ellie perked up, pleased that she had an accomplice. "Okay, so Mom's gonna say no right away and Dad's gonna say that when he was my age, he used to work for what he wanted. I need you to remind him how much he hated that and how much he wished that his dad, who had the money, would give it to him for a new pair of sneakers once in a while so he didn't have to spend every single weekend washing cars or shoveling driveways to pay his own way."

"That won't work."

"Why?"

"It just won't." Because it would strike a nerve, Liz wanted to say. Anything having to do with John Bartlet would strike a nerve in their father. But she reminded herself that Ellie didn't know about the strife in Jed's childhood or the tortured relationship he had with 'Grandpa John.'

"Then what should I do?"

That question hung in the air when the phone rang and Liz sprang to her feet to answer it.

"Hello?"

The front door opened right after.

Suspecting it was her mother home from the hospital, Ellie got up from the table to greet her. "Hi, Mom. How was work?"

"Another long day," Abbey told her as she flipped through the mail she'd picked up on her way in. "Anything exciting happen around here?"

"No," Ellie answered quickly. "Are you tired? Do you want me to bring you some tea?"

"No, sweetie, I'm all right."

"I'll run a bath for you, with your favorite bubbles."

"I'd like to have dinner first." Abbey cupped her daughter's cheek affectionately and gave her a pat when she passed by. "Have you eaten?"

"Yeah, Mrs. Wilburforce made lasagna."

"Is she still here?"

"No, Lizzie told her she could leave." Enough stalling, Ellie chided herself. "Mom?"

"Yeah?"

"You know I'm starting junior high in a month."

"Of course I do. I haven't forgotten."

"It's just...well, it's different than elementary school."

"I know."

"You do?"

"I'm not ancient, Ellie. Believe it or not, I was your age once. I remember what it was like. And even if I didn't, I lived through it with Lizzie."

"So you know that the things I wore in elementary school I can't wear in junior high...I mean, if I want to fit in."

"Yeah."

So far, so good. "So I might need some new stuff."

"Yeah, you probably will." Abbey draped an arm around her and smiled. "I've been waiting for you to ask."

"You have?"

"Do you think I haven't noticed?"

"Noticed what?"

"You're growing up, sweetheart. You need new things."

"Really?" This was going to be easier than she thought.

"Tell you what, next weekend, you and me. We'll try on bras, go shopping for new t-shirts and cute tops, we'll make a day of it!"

Ellie crinkled her face. "Bras?"

"Yeah."

"I don't need a bra."

"Well..." Abbey stammered a bit. "I think you do. Your clothes are getting tighter and I can see that you're starting to..."

"That's what you noticed?" The disappointed preteen looked down at her chest. She was developing faster than her peers, but she hoped that no one else could tell.

"Yeah. Why? What did you think I was talking about?"

"I don't want a bra. I don't even want new clothes."

That was a surprise to Abbey. "What do you want?"

"Ski boots."

"You have ski boots."

"I want new ones."

"Did you outgrow them?"

"No."

"Then why do you want new ones?"

"Because everyone is getting new ones."

"Oh, so it's one of those deals." Abbey understood now.

"Will you take me shopping?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Mom..."

"We're not buying another pair of ski boots when you have a perfectly good pair in your closet."

"But you were going to buy me clothes. Can't we trade the clothes for ski boots?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Because you need clothes. You don't need ski boots."

"But I do! Wendy's getting a pair that'll make mine look like they came from Toys 'R' Us."

"I don't care."

"Mom!"

"The answer's no, Ellie."

Ellie followed her into the kitchen. "But why?"

"Because we just bought you a pair."

"It wasn't just. That was last year."

"Do they fit you?" Abbey skirted around Liz, who was talking on the phone.

"Yes..."

"Do they attach to the skis?"

"Yes."

"What more do you want?"

"The fit isn't the point!"

"Maybe not your point, but it's my point."

"Moooommmmm," Ellie whined.

"Ellie, I've had a long day. I already gave you my answer. I don't want to hear another word about it." Abbey turned her attention to her eldest daughter, still on the phone and sounding congested.

"Uncle Jack sent me home early."

"Who is it?"

Liz tucked the receiver under her chin to answer her mother. "It's Dad." Back into the phone, she said, "I'm fine, Dad. I'll be much better tomorrow."

"Did you call a doctor like I told you to?" Abbey asked.

"I forgot," Liz lied.

"Lizzie..." Abbey shook her head as she pulled out her prescription pad and a pen. "You're leaving for college soon. You're going to have to learn to do these things on your own. Dad and I aren't always going to be over your shoulder reminding you to take care of yourself."

Liz pulled the receiver from her ear. "Okay, you both said the exact same thing in stereo."

"Good, maybe it'll sink in." Abbey handed her a prescription for antibiotics. "Go to the pharmacy and have this filled before you forget."

"Do I have to do it now?"

"Elizabeth, don't try my patience."

"Okay, okay, don't freak out." She handed her mom the phone and took the prescription. "Thanks. Do you need anything at the pharmacy?"

"No, but say hello to Paul for me."

"I will."

The Bartlets knew their pharmacist well, and he knew them. For nearly five years, he'd filled everything from prescription cold medicine for the girls to Jed's back pain medication. He even filled Abbey's birth control pills, which was why when Liz needed birth control, she chose to go to a different pharmacy, a much larger one across town where no one knew who she was and, more importantly, there was no risk of running into her parents when she needed refills.

She was growing tired of this part of her relationship with Doug. Being with him was incredible and she wasn't ready to give it up, but having to lie and cover up their sexual activities for fear of what her parents would think was draining. It was special, she told herself, a private part of their union that her mom and dad wouldn't understand. They couldn't stand Doug and beyond that, they still saw her as a young girl, unprepared for the whirlwind of emotions that came with intimacy. They'd disapprove and most of all, they'd be disappointed in her.

That's why she didn't open up. Abbey had prodded her several times over the past month, but Liz stayed quiet. She didn't tell her mother that her feelings for Doug were so intense that she'd given in to natural urges she could no longer deny. She didn't tell her how wonderful it was and how much their relationship had strengthened since the first night slept together. She didn't tell her that because Doug had been tested and cleared of any sexually transmitted diseases, the biggest worry on her mind was preventing a pregnancy and that she was taking care of it, the way Abbey had taught her in the past when explaining the birds and the bees.

Liz thought she knew it all, and so she didn't tell her mom any of that. If she had, she would have realized there was one thing she didn't know, something critical enough to change her life forever. Abbey's knowledge and wisdom would have taken over and she would have warned her daughter that antibiotics interfere with the contraceptive properties of birth control pills.

TBC


	17. Chapter 17

Series: Snapshots of the Past

Story: The Candidate's Daughter

Chapter 17

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Previously: Jed was pushed into supporting the sex-ed bill despite his reservations about the lack of education provided for in the bill; Abbey learned the new doctor at the hospital wants to support her cause for reduced resident hours, but what she didn't know was that he was attracted to her; Liz finished up her month in the finance office; Ellie was surprised to learn her mother thinks she needs a bra when all she wanted was ski boots; Abbey prescribed antibiotics for Liz's sinus infection, unaware that Liz was taking birth control pills

Summary: Jed returns from D.C. on his birthday; Doug accuses Liz of being ashamed to be with him after she asked him not to come to the family party

Rated R

* * *

Abbey kept her eye on the clock on her wall. She had been in clinic all day and had stayed at the office to complete stacks of paperwork, but when the little hand struck seven, she grabbed her keys and took off, dodging Friday night rush-hour traffic and speeding to the airport to meet Jed. He'd been in D.C. the past week tying up loose ends before the congressional recess. She raced to the terminal, partly because she missed him. The other part, a surprise - Jed didn't know it, but a houseful of their closest friends and relatives were waiting to celebrate.

She arrived as he climbed the jetway. His head bobbed among the other passengers and she saw his face, darkened by stubble. He hadn't shaved in days, she realized, and she stood still for a minute, struck by his new look. But when his eyes found hers and he weaved through the crowd toward her, she shook it off and ran into his arms.

"Happy Birthday!" she said, presenting him with a bouquet of birthday balloons she'd promised Zoey she'd take with her.

"Thank you." Although Jed hadn't seen her hesitation, he would have been blind not to notice her reaction when he kissed her. His rough skin brushed against hers. "Sorry."

"It's okay."

"You like it?"

"It's different." Abbey ran her hand along his chin and turned his head to check his profile. "Too busy or making a statement?"

"A little bit of both," he admitted. "Are you going to ask me to shave?"

She swung her arm around his waist and cuddled into his chest as they strolled casually toward baggage claim. "Nope. It's your birthday, you're home, you can do anything you want."

He raised a brow at that, discretely patting her on the rear. "Can I get that in writing?"

* * *

At the farmhouse, guests invited for Jed's surprise party mingled. Ellie took Millie's daughter, Chloe, up to her room while Zoey took advantage of the fact that her parents were away to propose a banister-sliding contest to six-year-old Tommy. They climbed to the top and Zoey went first. She initially sat down and threw her legs over the side, the way Lizzie and Ellie had once taught her, but then decided she could get more speed on her tummy. So, she rolled over and straddled it instead, a move that immediately stole Jack's attention away from the conversation he was having across the room. He charged toward the staircase and swooped in to catch her before she went flying off at the bottom.

"Something tells me your mom wouldn't be too happy about you doing that."

"She lets me do it all the time!"

Jack tilted his head, skeptical. "You expect me to believe that? You could have cracked your head open."

"It's true, she lets me!"

"Yeah?" He scanned the room. "Liz, can you come here a sec?"

Her big sister heading toward them persuaded Zoey to give up the act before Liz busted her. "Okay, it's not true, but shhh."

Jack set her down on the ground. "Don't do it again."

Zoey promised she wouldn't, then took off up the stairs to entice Tommy into tree-climbing contest in the orchard after cake and ice cream.

Downstairs, Liz approached her uncle. "What's up?"

"Something with Zoey, but I took care of it."

A tap on the door interrupted them. Liz opened it to welcome her grandparents. Her Grandpa James hauled an oversized box, gift-wrapped with birthday paper, to the other room and Grandma Mary carried two plates of homemade hors d'oeurves. Liz took them out of her hands and suggested transferring the treats to a serving platter in the kitchen. As the Barringtons joined the party, Jack followed Liz to help, and to catch up with his niece. Now that she was no longer working in his office, he barely saw her during the week.

"Be honest, communications isn't all it's cracked up to be. You miss finance."

Liz countered the teasing with a good-natured laugh. "I don't miss finance."

"You miss finance," he insisted again. "If you want back in, I can talk to your dad."

"Thanks, but no thanks. I can only take number crunching for so long."

He picked at the cheese balls on the platter. "You're such a wuss."

Liz smacked his hand. "No sampling."

"You're missing the point of hors d'oeurves, Elizabeth."

"Liiizzzzziiieee." Ellie called out for her sister as she pranced into the kitchen. "Remember how you said your present to Dad was not bringing Doug to the party?"

"Yeah."

"Guess who's here?"

Doug breezed right past the cheery blond to get to Liz. "Hey."

"Hey, you're here."

"Yeah."

"Can we talk outside?" Liz opened the back door and waited for Doug to head out. As quietly as possible, she asked Jack, "If my dad gets home before he leaves, run interference, will you?"

"Am I going to have to? Are things that bad?"

"Let's just say that during their last confrontation, I thought fists were going to fly."

"That's pretty bad," Jack agreed. "I'll do what I can."

Jed was anything but violent. If he reacted with such anger toward Doug, Jack knew their problems went deeper than he thought.

"Thanks."

"Yeah."

Liz took a deep breath and joined Doug on the patio.

"I thought you weren't coming," she said.

Doug held up a silver hoop earring. "I wasn't planning to, but you forgot this at my place last night."

"You came all the way here to return it? It could have waited."

"I know it's your favorite. I thought about leaving it with Ellie and taking off, but what would I have said? 'Your big sis left her earring in my bed last night. Make sure she gets it back?' I doubt you would have appreciated that."

"You're right, I wouldn't have. Ellie doesn't know that we've..."

"I figured. Anyway, I wanted to see you."

Liz smiled. "That's sweet."

"Not really. I just wanted to see how you'd respond to me being here."

"How I'd respond?"

"Yeah. And you haven't let me down. You're responding exactly how I was afraid you would - all nervous. Distracted. Wondering when your folks will be home to see us together or how many of the guests just saw me come in."

"Is this a test?" She joked.

"Maybe it is in a way," he answered honestly. "Are you ashamed of me, Liz?"

"What? Where did that come from?"

"You uninvited me to the party. Can you blame me for thinking that you're embarrassed to be seen with me?"

"Doug, this has nothing to do with us. It's my dad's birthday; I wanted it to be perfect for him."

"And you thought I'd ruin it."

"No, don't put words in my mouth! The only reason I didn't want you here was because you and he don't get along. I just didn't want any fighting."

"There wouldn't be any fighting if you'd stand up for me once in a while!"

"What?"

"Forget it." He turned to leave until Liz grabbed his arm.

"What does that mean?"

"He treats me like trash, Liz! He doesn't like me so he thinks it's okay. And you just stand there and let him do it."

"Are you crazy? I stand up for you all the time! My relationship with my dad has been in turmoil ever since you and I started going out!"

"And that's my fault?"

"I'm not saying that!" she shouted loud enough for her grandfather to hear.

James had come into the kitchen to check on Liz's progress with the hors d'oeurves and to let her know that her parents were pulling up, but he stopped at the back door when he heard their raised voices.

"What are you saying?" Doug yelled back.

"I don't think he treats you like trash..."

"You're defending him. Terrific."

"What do you expect me to do, Doug? He's my father. He's raised me and supported and loved me all my life. He's always going to be important to me."

"And where do I stand? Am I important to you?"

"Of course you are. Try to see it from my point of view. I'm in the middle and I don't know whose side I'm supposed to take."

James barely knew Doug. What he knew, he thought he liked - until now. Jed was a protective father. Sometimes, he could be overprotective with his girls, but he was a fair man who treated people with respect unless they gave him reason not to. If he was hard on Doug, James wondered what Doug might have done to provoke him. But he let that thought die. It was none of his business, he reminded himself, and in that spirit, he started to walk away and let Liz handle the situation. He couldn't though. Jed and Abbey were closeby and he needed to warn her before they ruined the surprise.

Apologetically, he opened the door and stuck his head out to address his granddaughter. "Lizzie, your mom and dad just drove up."

Liz's eyes remained locked into Doug's. "You can stay if you want."

"No, I'll go," Doug replied. "I'll wait for them to come in and I'll walk around the outside of the house to the driveway. They'll never know I was here."

"You parked in the driveway?" Liz questioned, then realized he wouldn't have known where else to park. "Sorry, it's just that we had everyone park at the neighbor's."

"You don't have neighbors."

"The Douglas house off the main road. They said we could use their drive so Dad wouldn't see the cars when he got home."

"So I screwed it up again. I doubt he'll shocked when you tell him. Say happy birthday for me. I'll see you later."

He moped away, brooding, and Liz watched until he rounded the corner and slipped out of sight. It wasn't easy, watching him go. A wave of guilt hit her for uninviting him to the party. He was hurt and she knew he had a right to be. But she couldn't chase after him without disrupting her father's special night. She stood there for a moment, staring at the phantom of his shadow, then rushed into the house and took her place among the guests, desperate to put Doug out of her mind long enough to greet Jed when he walked in.

Outside, Abbey noticed Doug's car when they drove up, but Jed never mentioned it. She hoped it was because the vehicle was hidden from his view by his own car, which he hadn't parked in the garage when he left for Washington. It also didn't hurt that all the lights were out and when she turned off the car, extinguishing the glow of the headlights, Doug's black sedan blended into the landscape.

Before he spotted it, Abbey got out and slammed shut the driver's side door to signal their arrival. She predicted Zoey was keeping watch through the sidelight, but just in case the hyper six-year-old had wandered from her post, she wanted to alert everyone to get into position. Jed grabbed the bags and she handed him the keys to the front door when they mounted the steps to the porch.

"Where are the girls?" he asked.

"They're with my parents in Boston. I thought we might enjoy some private time tonight."

"I like the sound of that. Will there be sexy little garments involved?"

"That can be arranged. And maybe some whipped cream," Abbey told him, a cocked brow betraying the provocative thoughts that ran through her as she imagined Jed's reaction to the little red number she'd picked up.

"All right, no detours. When I open that door, we run - and I mean REALLY run, not some dainty little girly run - upstairs!"

Excited for the night ahead, Jed dug the keys into the lock, turned the knob, and turned the switch for the lights as they crossed the threshold.

"SURPRISE!"

* * *

An hour later, with the party in full swing, Abbey snuck off to the kitchen to prepare the birthday cake. Jed was a big fan of chocolate cheesecake, so she special-ordered one from the bakery. It was three tiers, each tier stacked on the one below and striped with a golden ribbon, like birthday presents. The top ribbon was designed as a bow and decorated with bright red glazed strawberries that the baker had sprinkled over it.

It was perfect, she thought as she set it on a tray and reached in the drawer for candles and a book of matches, unaware that Jed was behind her.

"There you are!"

"JED!" She positioned herself with her back against the counter to hide the cake. "Get out of here!"

"I will, just as soon as I remind you that you tempted me with tales of sexy little garments and sweet, erotic desserts tonight. Now I don't know how long this party's gonna go, but whether they're here or not, I want you scandalously dressed, covered in whipped cream, and waiting for me in 10 minutes."

She laughed. "Keep dreaming, Jethro."

"Some of them might like the show." He stepped closer to her, trapping her with his hands bracing the counter on either side of her.

"It's never gonna happen."

"It's not nice to tease." He kissed her. "Thank you for the party." Another kiss. "And for the cake behind you."

"Get out."

"Okay."

She waited until he turned from her. "Hey."

"Yeah?"

"After they leave and the girls are in bed, sexy garment and whipped cream. Promise."

"I'm holding you to it!"

Abbey grabbed the candles when he left. Sparklers, the tricky kind, poised to re-ignite after they're blown out. It was the girls' idea and she knew that Jed would take the gag in stride, so she dipped them into the cake and set them ablaze, then called for Lizzie to help her carry the tray. Mother and daughter each took an end and made their entrance, welcomed by their guests with a chorus of 'Happy Birthday' that Ellie started singing when she saw them.

"Happy Birthday to you..."

* * *

"Mark, Brooke, my brother, and your father. That makes four people who think I should shave before hitting the campaign trail tomorrow. What do you think?" Jed asked around midnight, when all the guests were gone and he and Abbey began to clean up.

"I don't now." Abbey rinsed her hands under the faucet to get all the soap off. She cupped her husband's face then and turned it from side to side, just as she had at the airport. "The rugged look is growing on me."

"They're afraid it won't photograph well."

"Are they right?"

"Maybe. Mark knows this stuff. He got me through the Seabrook presser relatively unscathed when the rest of them were convinced there was no way out."

"So you trust his judgment?"

"I hate admitting that." Jed joined her at the kitchen sink. "Hey, who was that guy Phyllis was here with?"

"That's Wade. He's her dog groomer. She's been seeing him socially for the past month."

No party was complete without post-party gossip while washing dishes before bed.

"What did you say his name was?"

"Wade."

Jed thought about that. "No, that's not it."

"Yes it is."

"No, really, it's not Wade."

"How would you know? You're lousy with names."

"Yeah, and as someone lousy with names, even I can tell you his name isn't Wade. What does that say?"

"That you're full of it?" She grinned.

Jed raised both brows, the sign of a challenge. "Care to make a wager, Dr. Bartlet?"

"You want to bet on a name?"

"Anything to get you naked and in my arms before this night over."

Abbey was planning on it anyway, but there was an extra edge of excitement to stripping for him after losing a bet. "And if I win?"

"I'll be naked in your arms?"

"And I get to do whatever I want with you?"

Her touch alone was enough to turn Jed on. "Of course."

"You're on!"

He took quick strides to the phone and sputtered along the way, "Wade. I can't think of any other name that sounds more wrong than Wade." Just as he dialed the first number to reach Phyllis, he heard Liz already on the line, yelling. "Lizzie? Who're you talking to?"

Abbey heard the echo of the shouting match on the phone and looked up from the sink. She waited until Jed hung up the receiver to ask, "What was that about?"

"I don't know."

"Who was on the line?"

"She didn't say."

"It's Doug," Zoey announced on her way into the kitchen. "They've been fighting on the phone since the party ended."

"Were you eavesdropping?"

"No, she was so loud, we couldn't help listening."

"We?"

"Me and Ellie."

"You were supposed to be in bed an hour ago," Abbey reminded her.

"I couldn't sleep."

"That's because Daddy let you have all the cheesecake you wanted." She turned her gaze on Jed, who ignored the look to focus on what was really important.

"What are they fighting about?"

"I dunno. I think he yelled at her because she said 'don't you yell at me!'" To Jed's amusement, the dramatic six-year-old put her hands on her hips and did her best impression of Liz. "And then all they did was yell some more. Ellie thinks they're breaking up."

Jed couldn't help the tiny bit of glee he felt at that. "Really?"

"Jed," Abbey warned.

"What? I'm surprised."

"Try to dull your eyes before she comes down. They're much too bright and happy for a father who just learned of his daughter's broken heart."

Jed dismissed that theory. In his soul, he believed Liz was never truly in love with Doug. It was infatuation, that's what he told himself, and infatuation had the potential to disappear just as quickly as it came. "She doesn't have a broken heart. She just came to her senses, that's all."

"Try to be a little sensitive, okay?"

"Abbey, the last thing I want to do is hurt her more than he already has. When she gets down here, I'll dish out another slice of birthday cake and some ice cream and she'll feel better in no time."

"For me too?" Zoey was a bottomless pit when it came to cake and ice cream.

"NO!" Abbey answered right away as she dried her hands on a towel and started out of the kitchen. "I want you in bed in five minutes, Zoey. No excuses."

With his wife out of sight, Jed bent down to Zoey's level, whispering, "Ellie really thinks they're breaking up?"

"Uh huh."

He held up his hand and Zoey tapped it with a high-five.

* * *

Abbey wasn't expecting to find a nosy little spy when she reached the top landing upstairs. Ellie was crouched down just outside of Elizabeth's bedroom, her ear pressed up to the door. She stalled for a moment, waiting to see if her middle daughter would hear her approach. When Ellie didn't, she cleared her voice and the startled 11-year-old jumped from her spot, scrambled to her feet, and turned to face her.

"Hi," she said, flashing her mom a sweet smile.

"This feels like déjà vu to me. What about you?"

Ellie had been in trouble for spying on her sister before. In the past, it was Zoey who had lured her into it, but this time, the curiosity was all Ellie's. She'd heard the yelling from her bed, walked across the hall to talk to Zoey about it, and as Zoey skipped downstairs, Ellie made a beeline for a better listening post outside of Liz's room. What she didn't expect was to be caught in the act.

"Can I say something?"

"Make it quick." It was late and Abbey was running low on patience.

"I didn't mean to eavesdrop on Lizzie."

"You didn't?"

"No, I can't help it. I'm naturally inquisitive..." Another smile. "Like Dad."

Abbey hid her amusement at that and replied, "I think you should go to bed before I decide you need to spend this weekend in your room to think about boundaries and privacy."

"Okay. Goodnight." Ellie skirted around her mother and headed off to her room.

Abbey watched her go, then knocked on Liz's door and let herself in just in time to hear a softer, gentler voice on the phone, and an 'I love you' that convinced her the fight was over. Liz was too wrapped up in her conversation to notice Abbey and Abbey was unwilling to disturb her now that things were calm again. Just as quietly as she came in, she left Liz's room and ran into Jed and Zoey in the hall.

"Say goodnight to Mommy, Zo," Jed told their daughter, who was hanging off his shoulders. Piggy-back rides to bed were popular in the Bartlet house.

"Night, Mommy."

"Goodnight, Zoey." Abbey gave her a kiss.

"Lizzie okay?" Jed asked.

"Brace yourself - they're not breaking up after all. In fact, I think it's fair to say the drama is over and they're making up as we speak."

"I knew it was too good to be true."

"You'll have to go back to your disapproving father bit."

"Nope, I'm not relying on that anymore. I promised Lizzie I'd back off and that's exactly what I'm doing. If she wants to date a schmuck, it's her choice, crushing as it may be."

"What's a schmuck, Daddy?"

"Your sister's boyfriend. That's a schmuck. Don't ever date one."

"I won't," Zoey assured him.

"Good."

"I'm gonna date a prince and we're gonna get married and live in a palace! We're gonna have a huuuuuuuuuge wedding and I'm gonna wear a pretty ball gown and he's gonna put my shoes on for me and they're gonna be glass slippers..."

"Okay, Cinderella, let's leave the wedding preparations for another day. It's time for bed." Jed lifted his back to give Zoey a slight boost.

Charmed by their interplay, Abbey chuckled as he picked up the pace to Zoey's room. "Jed?"

She winked at him and gestured to their bedroom when he turned.

"Two minutes," he promised.

It had been a week since they shared a bed. They were used to it, given his commute to and from D.C. during the congressional session, but that didn't make it any easier. Jed couldn't wait to get his hands on her, to hold her while he made love to her, to feel her body pressed up against his, her warm breath in his ear, her sensual kisses against his lips. He had a long, erotic night planned and after he tucked Zoey into her bed, he practically ran down the hall to find Abbey.

"Abbey?" he called as he locked the door to the master suite.

"Have I told you how much I missed you last week?" she called back.

"Where are you?"

She emerged from the bathroom in a cinnamon red corset and matching panties. It was silk with a lace-up back. She'd freshened up her makeup and slipped into a pair of four-inch fire-engine red heels just for him. In her hand, she twirled an unopened can of whipped cream and she donned a sexy grin as she gently shoved him until the backs of his knees hit the bed and he fell onto the mattress. She stood over him, like a glamazon ready to seduce her lover.

"About our bet earlier, let's pretend I won," she started, straddling his thighs and sitting on his lap before pushing him onto his back. "Which means, I get to do whatever my little heart desires all night long."

She unbuckled his belt and unzipped his jeans. One swift pull and they were down to his knees and off his legs entirely. His underwear came next, leaving him naked to her gaze, at least from the waist down.

"I can live with that," Jed moaned as she opened the can of whipped cream.

TBC


	18. Chapter 18

Series: Snapshots of the Past

Story: The Candidate's Daughter

Chapter 18

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Previously: Jed returned from D.C. to a surprise birthday party; Doug felt Liz was ashamed of him; Abbey's new colleague wanted to help her

Summary: Elizabeth leaves for Wellesley

Author's Note: To those of you who've left me feedback and haven't heard from me, it's because I don't have your email addresses. Please accept my thanks for reading and reviewing!

* * *

September 1986

A few weeks after Jed's birthday, Jed and Abbey prepared for another milestone - sending their first-born off to college. Things had been emotional around the house with Abbey reminiscing about nearly every moment of the past 18 years. Jed teased her about it to lighten the mood, but the truth was, in some ways, he was more troubled than Abbey about Elizabeth leaving the nest. He tried to mask it with jokes, but he didn't fool anyone. Even Zoey recognized how sad he was when he helped Liz pack up her room and make a list of supplies for her dorm.

Jack saw it too. He admired the relationship Jed had with his daughters. Liz's leaving was going to be particularly hard on him, especially after she spent two months interning at his campaign. On that Friday, Liz's last day at Bartlet for Congress headquarters, it was Jack's idea to organize an office send-off party. That afternoon for lunch, staffers and volunteers gathered in the lobby for cake and punch and a surprised and slightly embarrassed Liz got to say her goodbyes to everyone she worked with over the summer - everyone, except the man who arranged it. Her Uncle Jack was dealing with a financial situation and had been on and off the phone the whole time.

When things wound down shortly after one o'clock and she caught him hanging up the phone in his office, she approached with a paper plate and a slice of marble cake. "So I hear this was all your idea and you didn't even get to enjoy it."

"I prefer leftovers," he said, taking the cake and fork she handed him. "Sorry I was MIA."

"It's okay. What's going on?"

"There was a typo on the invitations for the black-tie fundraiser."

"That's not really your thing, is it?"

"If it was an ordinary typo, no. But this typo claimed five dollars a pop..."

"And it was supposed to be five hundred." It wasn't a question. Liz had helped plan the event, although she didn't play a role in the printing of the invitations.

"Exactly. Checks are rolling in and it turns out it's going to cost us more to put on the dinner than we'll get for it."

"All because of a decimal point."

"See how important math is?" He couldn't resist pestering her one last time about her aversion to math.

Liz gave a good-natured roll of her eyes. "When you tease me, you make it nearly impossible for me to say what I came here to say."

"Sorry, you're just so teasable." He stood in front of her and leaned back against his desk. "What did you come here to say?"

She took on a more serious expression and went on, "Thank you...for putting up with me. I learned a lot from you, and I suppose I even had a little fun learning the tricks of the trade."

If her attitude in July was an indication of her feelings toward her uncle, her attitude now  
confirmed to him that she had put old grudges to rest. The natural way Jack took her in his arms when she moved forward to give him a hug only proved how far they had come in two short months. He owed her a token of gratitude as well, for giving him a chance. He hadn't forgotten how timid she was on her first day, her apprehension having little to do with her disinterest in finance. It was him. He was the reason she was uncomfortable. There had been that incident with Brad four years earlier when Jack had lost his temper and lashed out at his son. For Liz, who'd stood motionless and watched, it was a painful reminder of what she knew about her grandfather's violent tendencies. She had never gotten over it. For years, she avoided him outside of family functions. She felt awkward any time she was around him. But this summer, thanks to a meddling Jed, she worked with him side-by-side, and all those fifteen-hour days helped to fade that awkwardness between them. She got to know Jack for the person he was, not the person he'd turned into for a brief period after John Bartlet's death.

Jack was grateful that she'd plowed through that layer of angst and dared to see the man deep inside. He'd never been especially close to her, but for the first time in her 18 years, he felt like he had formed a bond with his eldest niece and he vowed that he'd never let it break.

* * *

"His name is Alex Foster," Abbey told her husband in the kitchen of the farmhouse that evening. "He got his MD at Columbia and did his residency and fellowship at Yale."

"And he wants to help?"

"Yeah."

"So what's the problem?" He wasn't hearing the enthusiasm he expected. Abbey had been fighting the resident-work-hours battle by herself up until now. Jed assumed there would be some relief in having an ally.

"It's not a problem."

"Then why aren't you sounding happier about all this?"

"Nothing. It's just that he's more on the political end of things."

"Meaning?"

"He wants to make in-roads with the AMA."

"Well that's that then," he replied with sarcastic inflection. "With your dislike of the AMA and politics..."

"You know what I mean."

They were cooking together, a feast of Lizzie's favorite foods for her last night at home. Abbey peeled and chopped onions, tomatoes, and green peppers before transferring them to a pan on the stove while Jed drained the pasta for a baked ziti casserole.

"No, I don't know what you mean, Abbey. Politics is how things get done."

"In Washington, yes."

"Not just in Washington. Everywhere, even in medicine, even with the AMA."

"I don't have a problem with politics and I don't have a problem addressing the AMA. My problem is I don't have time for it. Alex wants to meet and plan and strategize. He's really gung-ho about it, which is good, but I'm chasing my tail as it is. Add politicking to the mix and something has to give."

"Are you preparing me for something? Is that what this is all about?"

"I was hoping to steer you along a little first, but yeah. It's going to mean longer days at the hospital."

"Longer than now? You've gotta be kidding me!"

"There's nothing I can do about it, Jed, not if I want to continue fighting this. I have to give it my all or surrender completely. Which would you have me do?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"Yes," she said honestly. "Tell me to back down and let someone else do it and I will."

"You know I can't do that." It was too important a cause. Besides, he'd never try to control Abbey. That wasn't how it worked between them.

"Then..."

"We'll figure it out, I guess."

"How?"

"The girls will be starting school soon. They'll be busy with their own thing."

"Mrs. Wilburforce will be here during the day."

"And I'll run car pool at night and the weekends until things settle down at the hospital."

"Really?"

"Yeah, we'll make it work."

She stared at him, relief and affection twinkling in her eyes. When he tried to nonchalantly skirt around her to return the pasta to the stove, she grabbed his hand. "Most husbands would be furious with all the time I spend at work. Do you know how lucky I am to have you?"

"How lucky?"

"I'll show you later." She planted a kiss on his lips. "I owe you big-time."

"Yes, you do," he replied with a flirty little smirk that made her laugh. "And just so you know, sweet knees, I'm keeping score."

Zoey interrupted then. She was dressed in an old pair of painted and rhinestoned whitewash jeans that Lizzie once used as a costume. The hem was too long and she flailed her leg as she walked into the kitchen. "Mommy, can you make these pants fit me?"

"Zoey, what are you doing? Those don't belong to you."

"I know. They're Lizzie's from when she was a punk rocker for Halloween. She said I could have them."

"She did?"

"Uh huh. Will you make them fit me? I want to wear them for the first day of school."

"That's a BIG no!"

"Why not?"

"Because it's not appropriate for school."

"Daddy?"

Jed raised his hands up in the air. "Leave me out of it."

"Go take them off and wash your hands if you want to help with the salad."

"But..."

Abbey repeated herself, using a firmer tone when Zoey didn't move. "Zoey, go take them off right now."

"Why can't I wear them for school?"

"Because I said so."

"I hate when you say that!" Zoey griped.

"Then don't make me say it."

"When I'm Lizzie's age, I'm gonna wear whatever I want for school!"

"Yeah, sure you are." Abbey had heard that one before from her other two daughters. "Last chance, you little stress bug. Take them off and change if you want to help with the salad."

Disheartened, Zoey huffed, "Okay, but I'm not happy about it!"

She left in a grump with a lopsided stride thanks to the overgrown hem on the pants. It gave Abbey a laugh as she watched her daughter disappear around the corner and up the stairs before she turned to Jed.

"When did you tell Lizzie to be home?"

"I didn't."

"What do you mean you didn't?"

"She's saying goodbye to Doug, Abbey. I was just thankful she didn't ask if he could go with us when we take her to school tomorrow. I wasn't about to rock the boat by setting a curfew."

"So what did you tell her?"

"That we're having a special dinner tonight. She said she wouldn't be late."

"That's what she always says."

He saw the way she hung her head as she stirred the beef. "What's wrong?"

"You have to ask? She's leaving."

"Yeah, I hate it too."

"Can't we keep her home another year? You could give her a job at the campaign, a real one with a paycheck. She could work after school or on the weekends and attend the Manchester campus of UNH during the day."

"And what do we say about the ever-so prestigious Wellesley?"

"You gave up Harvard, Yale, and Williams for Notre Dame. Prestige isn't everything."

"Hey, wait a second. Notre Dame..." he began to protest.

"Is only prestigious if you play football or want to be a priest."

"That's a gross exaggeration."

Abbey knew better than to challenge her husband on Notre Dame. She conceded before she spurred one of his eight-hour lectures on the colorful history of his Fighting Irish. "Okay, okay, let's drop it. The point is, she can transfer to Wellesley next year as a sophomore after she's completed her freshman classes here. English 101 is English 101 no matter where you go."

"When I said that months ago, you told me to back off."

"I was stupid then."

"And now?"

"I'm on-board."

"It's too late. She'll insist on leaving. You know what we should have done?"

"Built that dungeon?" she asked, knowing what he was going to say.

"That's right! And don't you mock me about it!"

"I always mock you about it."

"We'll see how funny it sounds when you're waving goodbye to her tomorrow." Saying that out loud made Jed stop and think about it a minute. "I keep telling myself she'll be home every weekend."

"So do I. And then I realize that'll only be true for the first month or so. Then she'll make friends, go partying on the weekends. We'll hardly ever see her."

"Aren't you Miss Doom and Gloom?"

"I can't help it."

"Lizzie will never forget about us. She'll be home every weekend, mark my words."

"You think so?"

"Yeah. Eighteen years old, Wellesley freshman with a genius IQ, and I'd bet my bottom dollar she'll pretend she can't work a washing machine. She'll need us to do her laundry."

They laughed at their agreement on that front. Elizabeth was just the kind of kid to lug her dirty clothes home every weekend and pack her car with leftovers from the fridge to take back to her dorm. But Jed and Abbey didn't mind. It was one of the perks of her attending college only an hour away from home, after all. If Liz had chosen Notre Dame or another school across the country, they would have had to settle for holidays and summer vacation, but at Wellesley, she'd be only a car ride away, and as difficult as it was watching her move out, they could at least take comfort in that.

* * *

Dinner at the Bartlet homestead was bittersweet that evening. Jed quizzed his eldest daughter on random facts, like he used to when she was a little girl. In those days, it was just the three of them - Abbey, Lizzie, and him - and Lizzie welcomed his trivia. Abbey used to say it was so she could show off for her Daddy by spouting off the correct answers, but the truth was, she enjoyed his questions because they were coming from him. Jed was a teacher, even outside the confines of a college lecture hall, and Liz was his eager little student. She enjoyed learning from him and sometimes, like tonight, she enjoyed turning the tables and surprising him with her own smarts.

"The word 'commencement' means beginning," he said. "So why do they call a college graduation 'commencement'?"

"Because we're beginning our lives in the real world?"

"Nope, try again."

"I don't know."

"Think about it."

"Dad, I have no earthly idea," Liz insisted in a veiled attempt to allow him the glory of giving the answer. It was manipulative, for she knew he wouldn't give up that easily.

"That's not a scholarly response."

"I'm not a scholar."

"Not with that attitude, you're not. Think it through. What reason would anyone have to call graduation 'commencement'?"

Bingo. He had his chance. He didn't take it. It was her turn to claim victory.

Feigning ignorance, she began, "I'll take a stab at it. In the early days of Harvard, graduation took place at the beginning of the academic year, simultaneous with all the celebrations welcoming incoming freshmen and returning students. It was marked by a salutatory address and a farewell to those who had completed their degree, but the term 'commencement' was born as a show of respect to the students beginning their studies. When graduation moved to the spring, they continued calling it 'commencement' out of a sense of tradition so typical of Harvard. Other schools caught on and adopted the tradition for their own graduates without protest."

Jed thought he'd stumped her this time, but her response was a little too accurate for a random guess. "That wasn't a stab in the dark. You prepared for that question. How did you know that's what I was going to ask?"

Liz shrugged. "I've lived with you for 18 years. I know how your mind works."

"Lizzie, when did graduation move from the beginning of the school year to the end?" Ellie wanted to know.

Liz didn't have the answer this time. She baited Jed. "Dad?"

"Don't look at me, Miss Know-It-All."

"Jed, don't pout." Abbey took a sip of her drink.

"I'm not pouting. I just think that if Lizzie wants to show off, she should be able to answer Ellie's question. And if she can't, she should look it up." He directed his stare across the table to Liz. "You're practically in college now, as you're so quick to remind us. We're not paying 30-grand a year for nothing."

Liz absorbed that little tirade, then smiled at her sisters. "Translation - Dad doesn't know either."

Jed flung a piece a bread at her, provoking a giggle from Liz and a shake of the head from Abbey.

* * *

"Mom, why didn't you live in the dorms for all four years in college?" Liz asked later as Abbey helped her pack up the last of the things she planned to take to Wellesley.

"I lived in the dorms for one year. That was sufficient."

There was a large walnut bookcase against the back wall of Liz's room. Ellie thumbed through the spines on the books and when she heard a pause in the conversation between Liz and Abbey, she spoke up. "Lizzie, can I have the books you're not taking?"

"You can borrow them, but I want them returned."

"Can I have Little Women?"

"No."

"But you've already read it."

"So have you."

"I like to re-read books."

"Then buy your own."

"Lizzie!"

"Ellie!" Liz mimicked her whine and kept one eye on her until Ellie stomped off. She continued her conversation with Abbey then. "So didn't you like it? The dorms?"

"I liked parts of it. I liked my roommate."

"Aunt Carol?"

"Mm hm." Carol Taylor had been one of Abbey's best friends her first year in college. The summer after freshman year, she transferred to the University of Rhode Island to be closer to Max Zelikovsky, her high school sweetheart and fiancé. She and Abbey lost touch for a while, their lives taking them in different directions. But they reunited shortly after Ellie was born and every now and then, 'Aunt Carol' came to visit.

"That's why you left? Because she left?"

"Partly. Dorm life was never really my thing, but Carol made it fun."

"It wasn't your thing because you were pre-med and always studying?"

"What is this, 20 questions?"

"I'm curious."

"I wasn't always studying. I studied a lot, but I still had fun. Just not the kind of fun some of the girls in my hall were having. Same reason I didn't live in the sorority house."

"You pledged a sorority?"

"Didn't I tell you?"

"No. What sorority?"

In the corner of the room, Zoey stood on a chair to reach her sister's trophy shelf. She picked up two of the biggest trophies and turned to Liz. "Lizzie, can I have these?"

"No, Zoey!"

"Why? You have a ton of trophies."

"Zoey, a trophy isn't meaningful unless you win it yourself," Abbey told her.

"But I never win any!"

"You will. Now put those back."

"But..."

"No buts. Put them back...now."

Liz moved her door to get to the shoe rack that hung on the back. Above it, her blue and silver metallic pom-poms hung on a hook, enticing Zoey. She sprinted across the room and jumped up to snatch them.

"ZOEY!" Liz yelled.

"I just wanna see them!"

"Zoey," Abbey intervened. "if you don't stop grabbing your sister's things, you're going to sit in your room for the rest of the night."

Rejected once again, Zoey folded up her arms and stormed out into the hall.

Liz turned a thankful eye to her mom as she retrieved several pairs of shoes she planned to take with her to Wellesley. "They're like vultures waiting for me to leave so they can move in on all my stuff."

"They're just playing."

"You didn't answer my question. What sorority?"

"Delta Gamma."

"And you didn't live in the house?"

Abbey shook her head. "It was more convenient and conducive to my studies to live at home."

"So that Grandma and Grandpa could spoil you?" Liz smiled.

"Maybe a little," Abbey admitted with a smile of her own.

"So, what happened? I thought sorority sisters were supposed to be lifelong friends."

"I am still friends with some of them. Aunt Millie was one of my sisters. Remember my friend Jane who visited last summer? She was another one."

"I can't believe I never knew you pledged a sorority."

"You never asked."

"Because I never would have guessed. You're not the type."

"Oh? What is the type?"

Liz folded the tops she retrieved from her dresser drawer and answered, "Cliquish, stuck-up, thinking you're better than everyone else."

"Elizabeth." Abbey was appalled to hear that come out of her mouth. Liz wasn't a snob. "What have I told you about stereotypes and snap judgments?"

"I know, but..."

"When you were applying to college, I remember you looking up various sororities, even thinking about rushing one."

"I changed my mind."

"That's your right, but don't put others down because of your own misconceptions. Cliquish and stuck-up? A lot of people would use those adjectives to describe cheerleaders."

That hit home with Liz. She hated being mistaken for a ditz with her nose in the air simply because she enjoyed cheering. "You're right, that was unfair. Sorry, I just don't know much about Greek life. I see Doug with his frat brothers and how stupid they act when they're together and I can't believe that's what it's all about."

"Who says it is?"

"Isn't it?"

"I can't speak for all sororities or all chapters even, but my chapter did a lot of charity work and fundraisers, especially around the holidays. Toys for Tots, soup kitchens, Salvation Army. We were on planning committees for college activities - Homecoming, graduation, mixers, socials - we helped with sports, organized a mentoring system to pair up freshmen girls with a 'big sister' who could help them adjust to college and the campus community..."

"Okay, I get it. I was obviously wrong."

"Just don't assume that Greek life is what you see with Doug. There's a lot more to it than that."

As if oblivious to the mother/daughter discussion, Zoey interrupted them again. This time, she was dressed to impress. Her arms in a 'V,' she pleaded, "Lizzie, watch!"

The peppy six-year-old took her place in the doorway and began a cheer routine, mimicking all the moves she'd seen her sister do the past four years. She began with the simple ones, pretending she was shaking pom-poms randomly from side to side while reciting the MHS cheer.

We've got pride,  
We've got spirit,  
Come on, Bobcats,  
Let's hear it!

Liz had to laugh at her awkward jumps and breathless chant, even if that was one of the few cheers from her alma mater that she never really liked. "That was good, Zo. Only thing is the Manchester High mascot wasn't the Bobcats."

"I know, but I go to Manchester Elementary and we ARE the Bobcats. It was the only cheer I knew." Zoey laced her knuckles and stuck them under her chin, tilting her head in a heartfelt plea. "Can I have your pom-poms, pretty please?"

"You keep asking like the answer's going to change. I like my pom-poms. I want to see them behind my door every time I come home."

"If I put them back behind your door when you come home, can I have them when you're gone?"

"No, Zoey!" Liz said firmly as she picked up her Homecoming Queen tiara, sparkly with rhinestones.

Zoey forgot all about the pom-poms when she saw that. "Ooooohhhhh..."

"NO!"

Disappointed again, she stormed off.

Abbey noted Liz's frustration right away. It was hard enough packing without Ellie and Zoey picking through her stuff. "I know she and Ellie get on your nerves, but be patient with them. They look up to you. That's why they want your things."

"It sucks!"

"No, it doesn't. Big sister to big sister, think of it this way - there will always be two people in this world, besides me and your father, who will love you just for being you. They think you hung the moon and that's never going change."

"Did Aunt Kate bug you when you were kids?"

"All the time. Sisters are treasures that we don't completely appreciate until we're adults."

"Speaking of sisters - the non-biological kind - Wellesley doesn't have sororities. No sorority sisters for me."

"No big deal. Notre Dame didn't have fraternities and your father got along just fine."

There were pictures of Liz and her friends on her dresser mirror. She began peeling them off to tuck away in a small box of momentos she'd take with her when she came across her favorite photo - her and Doug on prom night. It was taken at the dance by the photographer hired by the school. Liz had ordered one to be framed, one to put in a special 'Prom '86' keychain, and one for her mirror.

"Doug thinks I look down on him because he joined a fraternity at UNH."

"Do you look down him?"

"Mom, you're supposed to be on my side!" Liz couldn't help her defensive streak from taking over when Abbey questioned her.

"I'm always on your side. But you just stood there and rattled off your idea of sororities to me, sounding a bit snobby yourself, I might add. So, I have to wonder if your feelings came across to Doug, maybe without you even knowing it."

"No."

"Liz." Abbey looked her in the eye. "You never once wished that Doug wasn't in a fraternity? You never watched him with his friends and made a hasty exit so you wouldn't have to witness him reverting back to the seventh grade?"

Liz shuffled her feet and shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe once or twice when he was going on and on about Rush Week and all the things they had planned. It all sounded so juvenile. But I didn't do it on purpose. I forgot all about it afterwards."

"Apparently, Doug didn't."

"Which shouldn't surprise me. He remembers everything and tries to twist it around. This is part of a bigger thing with him."

"It is?"

"Yeah. He thinks I look down on him. Maybe in a way it's true with the fraternity, but when it comes to him, to who he is, I don't look down on him. I love him."

"Then what's the problem?"

"He doesn't believe me. I feel like sometimes he's mad that I'm not going to UNH, like I thought I was too good for it or something."

"That's not like you."

"I know. I mean, UNH is a really good school and I would have been happy going there. It's just that Wellesley was my dream."

"Are you sure he's not just upset that you're moving away? Long distance relationships can be difficult to maintain. Maybe he's scared that things are going to change between you."

"I'm scared of that too, but you and Dad do it. You did it even in college."

"Yes, we did. It worked for us because we wanted it to. But it's different. When he and I met, he was already living in Indiana and I was in Boston."

"So?"

"So he wasn't running away from me."

"Is that what you think I'm doing with Doug? Running away from him?"

"No, of course not. You're going to college. You're moving toward the next chapter in your life. But I've known you for 18 years and I know what's going on with you. I wonder if Doug does. Try to see it from his point of view. You live 10 minutes away from each other and you see each other every single day, then suddenly, you decide you want to go away to school. Maybe he feels like he's not enough to keep you here."

"I never thought about it like that. What do you think I should do?"

Abbey considered taking advantage of the opportunity to convince Liz that Doug wasn't worth her time, to forget about him and focus on making her own dreams come true. But she understood how much her daughter cared for him and minimizing her feelings by undermining their relationship after Liz opened up to her just wasn't an option.

"You have to make him understand how important it was to you to get into Wellesley," she offered instead. "Make him see that it had nothing at all to do with him."

"I don't like to bring up Wellesley too much. Whenever I do, I feel like he thinks I'm looking down on UNH."

"Why would he think that?"

"That's just how he is sometimes. He's so sensitive. A few weeks ago, he accused me of being embarrassed to be seen with him when that's the furthest thing from my mind. When we started dating, I wanted to shout it from the rooftops."

"Did you tell him that?"

"Of course. We made up and things have been good ever since, but it still annoys me. Why would he think I'm ashamed of him?"

"I can't answer that, but if you're sure that you did nothing to give him that impression, then I think that's his problem, not yours."

"That's easy to say. When Dad has a problem, it becomes your problem too."

"Don't make those comparisons. Your dad and I are married. We have a household, a family. We share everything, including our problems. You and Doug - you're still young and uncommitted marriage-wise. You lead separate lives."

"What are you getting at?"

"I promised I wouldn't say this."

"You can say it. I won't get mad."

"If Doug is having issues with this now, it's not a good sign for the future." Liz looked crushed, prompting a prick of guilt in Abbey. "I'm sorry. I'm just trying to give you my honest opinion. That's what you want, right?"

Liz nodded. "Doesn't mean I like hearing it."

"I don't like saying it."

Meanwhile, Ellie, who was rummaging through Liz's closet, thought she hit a goldmine. "Lizzie, can I have your violin?"

"No."

"But you haven't played it in years!"

For three months in seventh grade, Liz was convinced her destiny was to become a professional violinist with the Boston Pops. She begged her parents for lessons, but soon lost interest. "So what? I keep it for sentimental reasons."

Sentiment? With a musical instrument? "It's a violin."

"The answer is no, El. Anyway, you're too busy with your clarinet to take up the violin so what do you care?"

"I just think it's cool." The nosy 11-year-old then reached for the next thing she saw. "How about your ice skates? They don't fit me now, but I'll grow into them."

"Those you can have."

"What, ice skates don't carry sentimental value?" Abbey asked.

"Had you bought me the ones I wanted, they would. Those are the ugly gray ones I never really liked."

"Ah, so Ellie makes bank all because of a failure on my part to buy you the 'proper' ice skates?"

Liz gave a coy smile and said, "Something like that."

Abbey hurled a sweatshirt at her. "You are a spoiled brat!"

"HEY! That's not nice!"

Joining Ellie in the closet, Zoey held up Liz's cheerleading megaphone. "Lizzie...?"

"You can have it, Zo. I'm too tired to argue."

"Can I have your jewelry box too?"

"Which one?"

"The ballerina one."

"Take it. And before you ask, NO, YOU CAN'T HAVE MY JEWELRY! Just the box."

"Thanks!" Something else caught Zoey's eye then - Liz's old dance recital costume, peeking out from a box in the back of her closet. It was a short purple dress with matching satin leotard. It had a row of purple sequins across the top and like Liz, Zoey went crazy for anything that had glitz and sparkle. "What about this? PLEASE?"

"You can have that too, but get out of there!"

"Thanks, Lizzie!"

"You're not wearing that to school," Abbey warned before Zoey got any bright ideas.

"You never let me wear anything pretty to school!"

"I know, I'm just so mean."

Jed picked up on that cue, strolling into Liz's room just in time. "Uh oh. Who're you being mean to?"

"Daddy, why can't I wear what I want to school?"

One glance at Abbey's face answered that question for him. "I'm going to take a shot in the dark and guess it's because Mom said so."

"But you would let me."

Another look from Abbey made him shift uncomfortably. "Not if Mom already said no." He paused briefly, then continued on. "But had you asked me, I might have considered it, assuming we're not back to the punk-rock outfit again."

"No, I wanna wear this!" Zoey proudly handed him the costume.

"Well this...this is..."

"Lizzie's recital costume from the third grade," Abbey told him. "You explain why she can't wear it to school."

"Okay." He turned to address Zoey. "Because Mom said so."

"Daddy!"

"Sorry, kiddo. Mom's rules." He approached Liz next, holding up her car keys to drop them into her hand. "I had it washed and detailed, filled up your gas tank, changed your tires, and I went ahead and got an oil change, something that you hadn't done in NINE months."

"I forgot," Liz claimed.

"You can't forget these things when you're on your own. You'll be driving down the road one day and your engine will explode."

"It will not explode!"

"I'm telling you, you'll be well on your way and smoke will start clouding your windshield."

"I'm not buying it," she insisted. "Why'd you take my house keys off my key ring?"

"You're moving out. You won't need them anymore."

"Dad!" Ellie couldn't believe he meant that. She assumed Liz would always be welcomed home.

"What? Only people who live here get keys. Your sister is choosing to leave."

"I'm not choosing to leave. I'm going away to college."

"Which means you're choosing to leave." Jed saw the frown Liz tried to hide and decided to come clean, even before the nudge from Abbey. He pulled out a set of keys tied to the end of a purple lanyard she could wear around her neck. "I was worried you'd lose them when you got your dorm keys."

A relieved Liz held out her hand and let him drop them into her palm. "I won't lose them."

"You better not," he said. "They're yours forever. You can move into the dorms with my blessing, but this place will always be your home."

* * *

The overnight hours passed faster than Jed and Abbey would have liked. They closed their eyes for some sleep and before they knew it, it was morning. Abbey climbed out of bed, slipped into her robe, stuffed her feet into slippers, and padded her way to Liz's room. She knocked softly at first and then opened the door wide enough to peer in through the crack. What she saw made her smile and she quietly let herself in.

Above the top hem of Liz's oversized comforter, three heads popped out. Ellie and Zoey had fallen asleep beside her. Ellie was lying on her back and the creased spine of a book tented the covers across her stomach. It was Little Women, the novel she had wanted earlier. Liz had said no, but it was all a ruse. She'd planned to give it to Ellie all along. It was a family keepsake, after all. Once upon time, that very book belonged to Abbey. As a teen, she'd read it over and over again, enraptured by the plot of four New England sisters - Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy - growing up together during the Civil War. When she had daughters of her own, she decided to pass it down. Liz got it first since she was the oldest. Ellie was just seven when she asked if she could borrow it. Liz had refused, saying it was too mature for a seven-year-old, but Ellie was lured by the storyline and one weekend, while Liz was at Six Flags with her friends, she snuck into her room and read it anyway. Liz caught her when she got home, but before she could read her the riot act, Ellie burst into tears, having just read the chapter where Beth passed away, leaving her sisters to mourn her death. One look at Ellie's sad face had stopped Liz in her tracks. Instead of yelling at her for breaking into her room and taking the book, she sat down on the bed and hugged her until she stopped crying.

Abbey walked in on her two girls that night. It was one of those moments when she thanked God for blessing her with daughters who, despite their bickering and fighting, truly cared for one another.

This morning, she thanked Him again as she tugged on the blanket to cover them up.

Sleeping on the end, Zoey felt her mother's presence. She was a light sleeper anyway and she hated being asleep while others were awake. Her eyes snapped open and she sat up to see Abbey standing over her.

"Hi, Mommy!"

"Morning, sweetheart," Abbey whispered as she kneeled down in front of her and stroked her bangs off her face. "How late were you guys up last night?"

"Real late." She held up her wrist to flash her braided homemade bracelet. "I showed Lizzie and Ellie how to make friendship bracelets, see?"

"You're getting really good at that." Abbey admired the bracelet. Zoey had learned to make them at camp and had asked for supplies to make them at home. "Did Lizzie and Ellie make their own?"

"Uh huh. We all three have matching ones now, except they're not friendship bracelets. They're sister bracelets."

"Sister bracelets, huh? That's sounds really special."

"It is. We're gonna wear them all the time. If you want, I can teach you how to make them so you can wear one too."

"I'd love it if you did. But how about first, you help me with breakfast?"

"Okay!"

"Come on." Abbey held out her hand to help Zoey out of bed and lead her out of the room.

"Daddy carries me downstairs."

"Daddy spoils you."

* * *

Wellesley, Massachusetts was a little over an hour away from Manchester, but Jed intentionally took the scenic route, doubling their one-hour drive. Liz didn't complain. Her nerves were too frayed to protest. As much as she wanted the college experience, leaving home spurred a cyclone of anxiety. She worried about being lonely and homesick, about missing her parents and her sisters, her bedroom, her friends, and of course, Doug. She feared their relationship wouldn't survive the long-distance drama and she wondered what she'd do if they broke up.

She also worried about fitting in at school, about getting along with her new roommate, and what to do if she hated living in the dorms. But even more troubling than all that, her fear of failure gnawed at her. For the first time in her life, she had doubts about whether or not she was smart enough to take on this challenge. She had aced her classes in high school. An inherent aptitude for history and English made those subjects easy for her. When it came to math and science, her well of talent ran dry and she found that the way to tackle those classes was to work twice as hard, making up for whatever she lacked in natural ability.

But college was a different beast. It was harder. More competitive. It was sink or swim and without a life jacket, she worried she couldn't swim. Her stomach flip-flopped so many times, she felt nauseated, like she was going to be sick if she didn't roll down the window to get some fresh air. Jed pretended not to notice, but he knew what she was going through. The same insecurities plagued him as a Notre Dame freshman and nothing anyone said could have helped, not until he successfully completed his first round of exams. So, instead of confronting Liz as she poked her head out into the breeze, he tried to get her mind off her fears by taking note of the scenery and commenting on the tight-knit community of Wellesely.

It was a small town on the Charles River, only 12 miles west of Boston. Nestled in the quiet Massachusetts countryside, yet close enough to the daily conveniences and the nightlife of the big city of Boston, it was perfect for someone like Liz. She'd been here before, last year when she and Abbey visited for her college interview. She remembered the manicured lawns that belonged to old New England homes on wooded bluffs that seemed to stretch for miles. There was the old clock tower at Wellesley Hills, where patrons shopped the boutiques and picknickers frolicked on hot summer weekends like this one. And past the bend in the road, stood one of the most famous landmarks - the tan and pink stone building that served as the Wellesley Town Hall, flanked by historic twin turrets that reminded her of a fairytale castle.

Nineteenth Century red brick buildings near the college shaded a winding path toward campus. Steeped in its own rich history, Wellesley's reputation as an academic powerhouse and one of the "Seven Sisters" lured Liz to apply initially. She considered Notre Dame, Dartmouth, Harvard, Brown, and Yale, but she was enticed by the liberal arts colleges, where students didn't pack lecture halls by the hundreds, but rather, filled classrooms and interacted with their professors. Wellesley's track record of turning out leaders in every field, from politics to film and television, attracted her. There was an emphasis on service and a strong commitment to moral and civic responsibility among the Wellesley student body. She assumed she'd be surrounded with like-minded peers, all clutching to their own dreams of making their mark in the world. The alumni network of successful and powerful women didn't hurt either, but it was what Wellesley stood for, coupled with the beautiful campus, that catapulted it to the top of Liz's college list.

The campus was every bit as beautiful on that September day as it had been blanketed with snow in November, when she saw it for the first time. For a girl who grew up in a colonial farmhouse on acres of rolling pastures and hiking and bike-riding trails, Wellesley gave her a twinge of familiarity. The college's hills and woodlands, meadows and ponds reminded her of home and that reminder helped to ease her panic and the urge she'd had earlier to cling to her parents.

As Jed parked the car, a thrill of excitement ran through her.

"Severance Hall, right?" he asked.

"Yeah, let's go!" Jed hadn't even unbuckled his seatbelt and Liz had already jumped out of the car, ready to charge in to find her dorm room.

"Hold on a minute. We have to wait for Mom to park."

The Bartlets had to take two cars. Jed drove Liz's car while Abbey drove her own. Zoey and Ellie had become so clingy, they wanted to ride in whichever car Liz chose, but Ellie had a change of heart. The thought of Abbey driving alone bothered her, so while Zoey went off with Jed and Liz, Ellie decided to ride with their mother.

Abbey took her time getting out of the car and seeing Liz tap her foot while she waited didn't hurry her along. "You can tap away, Lizzie. It's going to take as long as it's going to take."

"We're already late, you know," Liz pressed.

"It's a good day, baby doll. Don't make me smack you." Abbey handed her a box to carry inside.

"Don't call me baby doll in front of people."

Carrying a second box, Ellie skipped up to her sisters and the three girls walked several steps in front of their parents.

Behind them, Jed whispered to Abbey. "She's nervous."

"She's moody is what she is. What were we saying about wanting to keep her home?"

There were thirteen residence halls at Wellesley and as a freshman, Liz had no say in her dorm assignment, but she was happy when she learned she'd be living in Severance Hall. It was one of the more social dorms on campus, part of the Tower Complex, and sat at the top of Severance Green, a hill that students used for sledding during snow season with an adjacent courtyard that hosted the college's annual carnival.

Liz transferred her box to her left hand and with her right, she swung open the door and marched into the building. They passed the TV lounge and went on to the elevators to see her third-floor room that she'd share with another incoming freshman - Cassandra Martin. Liz had spoken to her on the phone so they could compare their lists and avoid any awkward hang-ups about taste in decor. They decided to bring whatever personal belongings they had room for and hit the shops of Wellesley with their parents for essentials they'd both use, like a small fridge, linens, and school supplies.

"Look at this place!" Excited, Liz set her box down and circled the room when they arrived. "What do you think?"

"It's kinda small," Ellie said. "I mean, compared to your room at home."

"Duh, Ellie, it's a dorm. It's supposed to be small. But isn't it great?"

"Where's the bathroom?" Zoey asked.

"It's down the hall. We share it with the whole floor."

Abbey took the hint. "I'll take you, Zoey."

Meanwhile, Jed snooped in the closets. "Looks like your roomie's already here."

"Yeah, she was supposed to come early this morning."

"Elizabeth?"

Liz turned to see a pretty blonde girl calling for her from the doorway. It was her roommate, as if replying on cue. "Cassie?"

They had just met, but they greeted each other with a hug like old friends getting reacquainted.

"It's good to finally put a face with a voice."

"I know what you mean. This is my dad and my sister, Ellie. My mom and my other sister will be right back. Are your parents here?"

"They're in the dining hall. Have you seen it yet? It's HUGE."

"No."

"Come on, I'll show you. The food's not bad."

Liz hesitated, thinking of Zoey and Abbey.

"Go. We'll catch up with you," Jed offered. He saw the enthusiasm all over her face and more than anything, he wanted this day to be perfect for her.

Liz thanked him and followed Cassie out the door for a grand tour of Severance Hall. Afterwards, she took her parents and sisters down to the lake and the nearby boathouse, where students were allowed to check out canoes and go rowing with their friends. The Houghton Memorial Chapel was next and then, the Whitin Observatory for Ellie so she could see where the astronomy classes were held. Zoey's eyes lit up when she learned there was an equestrian club at the college, but her hopes of seeing the horses was dashed when Liz told her the stables were off-campus. The six-year-old sighed unhappily and kicked at the dirt as they continued their trek around campus.

Once they'd had enough sightseeing, the Bartlets returned to the dorms to meet up with Cassie and her parents. The two families then headed out to do some shopping, and embracing a thousand stereotypes, the moms focused on linens and decor with their girls while the dads searched for work desks, chairs, and bookshelves. A nice dinner at a swanky restaurant in Boston followed to celebrate their daughters' achievements and to toast the start of what they all hoped would be a lifelong friendship.

* * *

The worst part of the day came at the end. Liz's boxes were empty. The clothes in her suitcases were folded in her dresser or hung in her half of the closet. Sheets and blankets covered the mattresses, a mini-fridge sat against a wall, towels were folded and put away, and two small work desks and matching chairs faced the window, a bag of toiletries on top. The only thing left for Liz to do was walk her family down to the parking lot and say goodbye.

"I want you to come back with us, Lizzie!" Zoey took it the hardest. She held onto Liz, unwilling to get in the car without her.

"I wish I could, Zo."

"Can't you?"

"No, I'm sorry."

"Lizzie, you forgot your phone." Ellie reached into the car and grabbed the purple corded phone that had its own special place in Liz's room at the farmhouse.

"Thanks, El. I can't believe I left that down here."

"I can't either. You would have gone crazy without it. Dad used to say we'd have to have it surgically removed from your ear."

Liz gave a wistful laugh at that. "You can call me whenever you want."

"Me too?" Zoey asked.

"Yes, you too." Her arms opened wide, Liz hugged both her sisters. "I love you guys."

Jed waited for them to break apart and for the younger girls to climb into the car before he stepped in for his own farewell. "We'll call you so much, you'll be sick of us. But in case we don't one night, you can call us...anytime."

Liz accepted the card he handed her. "What's this?"

"A calling card. If it runs out of money, call collect." He took out another one and gave it to her. "And this one's for Doug."

She was touched by his thoughtfulness. He really was trying to be supportive of her relationship. "Thanks, Dad."

Jed wasn't done yet. A roll of bills was next. He gave her a third of them. "Gas money for the weekends when you come home." Another third. "Going-out money for the weekends you decide to go to Boston with your friends instead."

"Thanks." Liz reached for it, but he pulled away before she touched it.

"No bars, no drinking."

"I swear."

With a nod to indicate that he trusted her, he gave her the money. And then, the last third. "Pizza money for when you get tired of the food in the dining hall."

Liz's eyes began to tear up as she took the last of the bills. "Thanks."

"And finally..." He gave her a credit card. "This is for emergencies only. If your car needs to be repaired or you need something for school that can't wait, use it. I get the bill so if you even think about a shopping spree at Bebe with this thing, you're in big trouble!"

"Got it."

Jed wrapped her up in a giant hug and whispered in her ear, "Check the top dresser drawer after we leave."

Liz chuckled. "Okay."

"I couldn't be more proud of you, you know that?" He gave her a kiss to the cheek and pulled away so Abbey could have her turn.

"We're going to miss you." Abbey took Liz into her arms.

"I love you, Mom."

"You have orientation this week?"

"Yeah."

"Are you coming home next weekend?"

"I can't. They have stuff planned for us, helping us adjust and all."

"You'll miss the big Labor Day barbecue," Jed realized sadly.

"I know, but I'll be home for the primary. And it'll be Parents' Weekend in a few weeks, so you guys can come visit."

"In the meantime, you're only an hour away..." Abbey turned an eye to Jed. "assuming we stay on the highway." Back to Liz. "We can drive over if you need us. If something happens or if you get sick, just call. We'll drop what we're doing and one of us will come get you."

"Thanks." Liz broke the embrace to wipe a single tear from her eye.

"I'll keep Ellie and Zoey out of your room."

"And I'll yell at them periodically for you," Jed added, making her laugh again.

"They like it when I call them brats."

"Somehow, I don't think that's true," Abbey interjected. "Keep yourself healthy, okay? Eat your vegetables, drink your juice, take your vitamins..."

"I will."

"We'll call you tomorrow."

"Okay."

Liz watched them get into the car, fasten their seatbelts, and drive away. She waved until they were out of sight, then she turned and walked back into the dorm, no spring in her step this time. As happy as she was to be on her own, she couldn't help but wonder how much she'd miss her family. She boarded the elevator and wiped at her eyes once again before it opened at the third floor.

Room 322. That would be her home for the next four years. She opened the door and walked in, not surprised to see that Cassie was gone. Probably down the hall, visiting and making new friends, she assumed. Instead of looking for her, Liz thought about what Jed had told her and made her way to her dresser to check the top drawer. Inside, she found a box of milk chocolate almond candy bars, the same ones that Ellie had sold all summer as a fundraiser for community band. There was a note attached to the top of the box. Liz picked it up to read it.

'For those late night chocolate cravings. Love Dad.'

She chuckled at how well he knew her as she opened the box and pulled out one candy bar. The wrapper torn, she looked at it, but never took a bite. It wasn't often that Liz turned down chocolate. Even when she had strep throat and Zoey brought her a couple of Hershey's Kisses, she ate them. But tonight, she had no appetite. Just like at dinner, the thought of food turned her stomach. She was only mildly nauseated, so she rejected the theory of a bug and attributed it to nerves and anxiety. Her period was due too, and occasionally, it caused nausea. Remembering that, she thought back to her last cycle and realized she was late. A paralyzing wave of panic crashed over her, but she talked herself through it. She was on birth control, she rationalized, and even if she was late, it was most likely a side effect of the pill. That's what it was. That's all it was. Taking a deep breath, she forced any other possibility out of her mind.

TBC


	19. Chapter 19

Series: Snapshots of the Past

Story: The Candidate's Daughter

Chapter 19

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Previously: Jed and Abbey helped Liz move into her college dorm; Liz blamed her nausea on the move; Alex Foster, the new surgeon in town, took notice of Abbey's bare fingers, not realizing she didn't wear her wedding ring to the hospital

Summary: It's the first day of school for all three of the Bartlet girls; Ellie begs her parents for new ski boots, which leads Jed to try to strike a compromise; Abbey's colleague makes a move on her

* * *

Jed and Abbey were no strangers to first days of school. They'd lived through 13 years of them with Elizabeth, from kindergarten through twelfth grade. When she was little, back-to-school shopping was one of the highlights of the summer for Lizzie. She used to buy the most stylish backpack she could find, the most colorful notebooks with matching stickers to decorate them, the biggest pencil box, and the prettiest lunchbox - always pink or purple, her favorite colors. She'd set out her first-day clothes three nights earlier and beg her mother to help her braid her hair or give her pigtails or ribbons and curls. As she grew up, the first day of school lost its allure and by sixth grade, after a long summer of sleeping in, Jed had to practically drag her out of bed on that first day back.

Zoey appeared to be following in her footsteps. She was starting first grade on that September day in 1986 and she had planned for it weeks in advance, choosing a Disney Princess lunchbox and matching pencil case. Instead of a backpack like Liz always bought, she preferred a shoulder bag, a white canvas one that had a horse on the front. And although she loved to run around in casual pants or shorts and a tee, she insisted on buying a dress for this special morning. It was baby blue with small white flowers and a belt that gave it a subtle flare past her waist. Abbey brushed her strawberry blond hair and swept her sides to the back to be anchored by a white satin bow.

"There you go," she said, giving her daughter a nod of reassurance.

"I wanna wear my jelly bracelets."

"You can wear them if you want, but they won't match."

"They won't?"

"Tell you what, tomorrow you can wear your denim skirt and jacket and we'll jazz it up with the jelly bracelets."

"Okay!" Happy by the compromise, Zoey took her mom's hand and the duo headed out into the hall.

Right next door was Ellie's room. Abbey knocked. "Ellie, do you need anything?"

"No."

"Are you almost ready?"

"Yeah."

"Breakfast in 10 minutes."

It was the beginning of junior high and Ellie took a different approach to the first day. From the time she started preschool, meeting new people in a new environment turned her into a quivering bundle of nerves. Kindergarten was especially tough on her. Jed had expected her to march onto the bus by herself, as Lizzie had done years earlier, but Ellie was nothing like Liz. She didn't care about having a stylish backpack, she never zeroed in on the bold notebooks that were on Liz's priority list, and her first-day-of-school outfit was usually a pair of jeans and a shirt. Anything to make her blend in because what she hated most was standing out in a crowd. It was that concept that motivated her that morning.

She strode into the kitchen with a purpose, her eyes aimed at her father who was scrambling eggs at the stove. "Dad, can I ask you something?"

"Always."

"You know how you bought me ski boots last year?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, I'm joining the junior high ski club and I've kinda outgrown my old ones. Can I buy a new pair?"

"Ski boots? I suppose we can go look..."

"Ellie..." Abbey was packing Zoey's lunch. She stopped and raised a glare from the counter toward her daughter. She had said no to new ski boots weeks ago and she couldn't believe that Ellie would now go to Jed.

"What? I'm asking Dad."

"I already answered that question."

"I didn't like your answer."

"And I don't like your attitude."

"I don't have an attitude. I just wanna see what Dad says."

Jed wasn't about to undercut Abbey now that he realized what was going on. "Whatever your mom said is what I say."

"Dad!" Ellie complained. "You were about to say yes!"

"I don't like being manipulated."

"You weren't being manipulated."

"Yes, he was," There was an angry edge to Abbey's voice. "And I'm not pleased with what just happened here."

"Me either. Has there been an argument I'm not aware of?"

"No argument, just a discussion. She asked for the boots, I said no, end of story."

"But why?" Ellie kept her attention on Jed.

Jed looked to Abbey. "Why?"

"Because she begged us for a new pair last year and didn't even get a full season's use out of them. We're not buying ski boots every year, not when her old ones still fit her."

"Dad?"

"Sorry, Ellie. Mom's right."

"Lizzie's number is STILL busy!" Zoey grumbled, the kitchen phone cradled under her chin. "Is she talking to Doug?"

"Duh, Zo." Ellie opened the fridge to retrieve an apple.

"Don't snap at her just because you're mad at us." Abbey placed her hand over Ellie's to keep her from taking a bite of the apple. "We're having breakfast together this morning."

"I'm not hungry enough for a real breakfast."

"You need a balanced meal. I'm going to fix you a plate and you're going to sit down and eat. Do me a favor and set the table."

"I hate breakfast."

"No, you don't. What's with you today?" Jed turned his attention to the potatoes on the neighboring burner.

"Butterflies," Abbey told him as she finished Zoey's lunch and grabbed a brown lunch bag for Ellie's. She was too old for a cutesy lunchbox, she had claimed weeks earlier when they headed out on their back-to-school shopping spree. "Ellie's nervous about starting seventh grade and she's cranky because of it."

"I'm not cranky."

"No? You haven't exactly been rose petals and sunshine this morning."

"Do I always have to be cheerful?"

"No, but since when do you go to your dad after I've already made a decision?"

"I didn't do it behind your back."

"That's supposed to make it all right? Have you ever gotten what you wanted by playing us against each other?"

"No," Ellie admitted, avoiding eye contact with Abbey as she set out the plates.

"Then why would you think this time would be different?"

"You didn't even hear me out! You just said no and told me to go away!"

"I never told you to go away."

"You sort of did. You said you didn't want to hear another word about it. You gave your answer and that was the end of it. I didn't know what else to do."

"How about accept my answer?"

"You don't understand."

"What is it I don't understand? That you want new ski boots? I get that loud and clear."

"My old ones are pink and gray and they have little butterflies on them. They were made for little girls. If I wear them this year, all the other girls will laugh at me."

"Why do you care what other people think?" Jed asked.

"Why do you?" Ellie countered. She was an intuitive child and suspected her father wanted to be liked almost as much as she did. She was crushed that he didn't understand either.

"I don't care what anybody thinks!" Zoey said proudly, dialing Liz again.

"Someday you will," Ellie guaranteed her. She then addressed her parents. "What if I pay for them myself?"

That suggestion had potential, Jed thought. "It's not just about the money, but it wouldn't hurt you to save up for ski boots if that's what you want. It might help you realize they're not as important as you're making them out to be."

"I doubt it."

Abbey decided to go along with Jed. "Then go for it. Save up your money and buy yourself a shiny new pair."

"I will. Can I have a raise in my allowance?"

"Yeah, right." Jed chuckled. "The point is to save up the money all on your own. If I give you a raise in your allowance, I might as well buy them myself."

"Then can I get a job?"

"A job?" Abbey folded the flap of the brown bag and set it at the counter's edge. "You're a kid. Your job is school."

"I'll be 12 in a month and you said I can start baby-sitting then."

"Okay, wait until then."

"Baby-sitting won't be enough. I'll be in high school by the time I raise the money. There has to be something else I can do."

"You're too young for a job."

Jed nudged his wife, "I don't know about that."

"You think she's old enough to work?"

"I think she's old enough to learn the value of a dollar, yeah. And maybe we'll take some of the burden off. We could make her a deal, along the lines of the deal we made Liz when she wanted a car - she pays for half and we pay the other half."

Ellie liked Jed's idea. "I'll agree to that! Let's do it!"

"Not so fast. It's up to your mom."

"She's 11 years old. She's too young for a job," Abbey insisted.

"For a real job, yes, but not for a little responsibility. She's almost 12 and she's mature way beyond her years."

Ellie gave a nod at that. "I am."

"She has the rest of her life to work. She should enjoy being a child right now."

"Wait a minute, I'm not suggesting she do hard labor. I'm talking little things, like baby-sitting, which we already said she could do. When I was her age, I had a paper route on the weekends."

"Yeah, because you liked meeting everyone in the neighborhood. Ellie would hate it."

"No, I wouldn't!"

"If she hates it, we won't make her do it," Jed offered. "I'm just saying there's a benefit to earning her own money. Lizzie didn't get her first summer job until she was 16 and remember how much she put in the bank that year? Imagine Ellie learning that lesson now."

Ellie's fists were clenched and she was holding them under her chin with a silent plea that Abbey could read on her lips. "What about school?"

"I'll get straight A's! I promise!"

"If it interferes with school, we'll step in." School always came first to Jed.

"Please Mom?"

"Let me think about it."

"I can pick up the application after school!"

"I said let me think about it. I don't like being put on the spot." That was directed at Jed.

"Sorry, babe. I didn't think a private conference was going to work with our little spy in the room." He gestured to Zoey.

Absorbing the conversation, Zoey hung up the phone and swaggered over to Jed. "Daddy, can I get a job too?"

"Sure!"

"REALLY?"

"Absolutely! You can help Frank muck out the barn after school."

"What do I get?" Zoey was a natural at caring for the horses, but when it came to mucking out the barn, she always found a creative excuse to let the farm hands do it. This time, she was under the impression of some type of reward and that changed everything.

"You get the honor of being allowed to compete at the Oktoberfest Horse Show."

"But you were going to let me do that anyway."

"Yeah, it's nice how that works out," he teased with a grin as he passed her to answer the ringing phone. "Lizzie! Zoey's been trying to call you for a half hour."

* * *

Liz was a wreck that morning. She woke up before the sun cast its glow on Wellesley's picturesque campus, a mixture of anxiety and nausea keeping her from sleep. She splashed water on her face, but that wasn't enough to rid her of the sleep-deprived bags under her eyes. She hit the showers before the other girls on the floor had even stirred. A quick blow dry later, she watched her roommate, Cassie, rise sluggishly from bed, then called Doug while she scanned all the outfits she'd ironed to pick out the perfect ensemble for the day ahead.

The first day of college was symbolic. It was a new chapter in her life and she'd been looking forward to it for years. It had been 10 days since she moved into her dorm, 10 days since she'd waved goodbye to her parents and fought the uneasiness in her stomach as they drove away, leaving her behind. That uneasiness was still there. Nerves, she thought. It was only natural. Being on her own for the first time in her life was bound to provoke fear and angst, after all. Add to that the rigorous curriculum of the college she'd chosen and it was no surprise that she'd be a little distressed by what was coming. Feelings of inadequacy surfaced, a crisis of confidence that was blamed for her nausea. The fact that she still hadn't gotten her period was banished from her mind and she convinced herself that stress had manipulated her cycle.

She hung up with Doug without a mention of feeling ill. She called her parents next, but she wasn't as prepared to put on an act for them.

"You sound different," Jed said.

"Different?"

"Yeah, what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," Liz insisted, fully aware of the loss of inflection in her voice. "I just don't feel that great. Cassie and I were up late last night...I'm tired and it's just first-day jitters."

She had truly convinced herself that's what it was. It was a logical explanation - a temporary problem that would go away. She'd feel like her old self in no time and when she did, she could enjoy the college experience with her eye on the lofty goals that brought her to Wellesley in the first place.

* * *

"Jerry Cline is a 43-year-old auto mechanic who was admitted at three a.m. for shoulder and neck pain, along with numbness and tingling in his fingers. He has a two-year history of pain and numbness in his arm that over-the-counter medications haven't helped. Upon examination, he had a positive Adson's test with a reproduction of symptoms. Chest x-rays clear and a CT scan was ordered by the overnight senior resident."

Abbey's team of interns was getting better at bedside presentations every day.

"Your diagnosis?" she asked Dr. Williams.

"Thoracic outlet syndrome," he said. He was a young and eager intern, much more confident in his clinical skills than he was in July, something he attributed to Abbey's guidance.

"Type?"

"Neurogenic."

"What are you going to do?"

"Another Adson's test, bilaterally. Confirm with EMG and nerve conduction studies."

"And if you're right?"

"Refer to PT for now, and as a last resort, discuss surgical options."

"Good job." Abbey took out her stethoscope and began examining the patient herself.

Just outside the room, Dr. Alex Foster stood at the nurse's station and, like a walking stereotype, scribbled patient orders that even he couldn't read. Penmanship was never one of his strengths and now that he was in his late 40s, he had given up trying. Abbey, on the other hand, still managed to jot down legible orders most of the time. Surgeons were always in a rush, she acknowledged, but she always made an effort anyway. It was a key part of patient care, she'd told him. He remembered that conversation as he retrieved the order he had just filed and re-wrote it.

Abbey had that affect on him, and not just when it came to handwriting. She frequently ate lunch at her desk so she could chart over her meal, but some days weren't as busy as others and on those calmer occasions, she took advantage of the friendly atmosphere in the cafeteria and gave herself an afternoon reprieve to refresh her brain cells and reclaim her focus. Alex began doing the same, treating himself to a midday break from the demanding halls of the surgical wing. But it was plain to see it wasn't the break he wanted; it was the company. Abbey's company.

He'd been enamored by her from the day he met her and every day, his crush grew a little bit more. Abbey had everything - brains, talent, looks. She had the skill of a scientist blessed with brilliance and precision, the destiny of a world-class surgeon, and as if that wasn't enough, she was beautiful and sexy with a personality so engaging, it could turn the heads of even her harshest critics. To Alex, a widower who had lost his wife three years earlier, she was a dream. He tried to hide the fondness he felt for her, fearful that any hint in a romantic direction would blur and possibly tarnish the professional relationship between them, but sometimes, he wondered what she'd say if she knew. He pondered that thought as Abbey stepped out of the patient's room and saw him.

"Hey," she said, bringing him out of his daze.

"Hi."

"Are we still on for tonight?"

"Tonight?"

"We made plans to go over the AMA resolution, remember?"

"Oh right."

"If it's a bad night..."

"No, it's not. I'll come by your office."

"Okay. We'll do take-out from the cafeteria."

"Sounds like a plan."

She tucked her clipboard under her arm and hustled off. Alex followed her with his eyes until she rounded the corner and walked out of sight.

* * *

"I've learned that no matter what, I'm never going to escape math." Liz was in a daze of her own, stumbling out of her introductory economics course and catching up with her roommate outside.

"Your dad's an economist," Cassie reminded her as they strolled over the rolling hills on campus.

"He's not the one taking the class."

"Yeah, but he did when he was in college. Can't he get you through it?"

"Are you kidding? I can't even tell him I'm taking this class or else he'll call my professor to ask him to take it easy on me." Cassie laughed, but Liz was serious. "You only think I'm joking."

"If you changed your major, you wouldn't have to worry about math, you know. My major requires minimal math." Cassie was a Women's Studies major.

"Yeah, but I wanna do public policy. I don't know what else would interest me."

"What would your parents say if you switched to...I don't know, Italian Studies?"

Liz shrugged. "My dad might make fun of me at first, but I think they'd be cool in the long run."

"Even if it meant a year abroad, studying in a country crawling with hunky Italian men?"

"You just sweetened the pot. They'd be thrilled!"

"Thrilled? Really?"

"A whole ocean between me and Doug with the added benefit of possibly meeting someone new? Yeah, they'd be thrilled."

Cassie frowned. "You poor thing. Life is hard when your parents don't like your man."

"Tell me about it."

"Hey, you wanna grab some lunch?"

"Not really." Liz crinkled her face.

"You skipped breakfast today. Are you still feeling queasy?"

"I'm fine. It's just first-day stress."

"Are you sure that's all it is?"

"Of course. What else could it be?"

* * *

There was an art to writing resolutions. Jed must have told Abbey that dozens of times over the years. She understood what he meant now as she sat in her office with Alex and struggled with drafting one over a dinner of deli sandwiches and fruit salad, followed by chips and salsa. They were meticulous about it. The grammar, the punctuation, and most importantly, the language all had to be perfect. This resolution was about resident works hours, a cause too important to be dismissed for poor writing. Their plan was ambitious - they'd draft it, submit it, rally support for it, and present it to the House of Delegates at the American Medical Association. With some luck, they'd convince them and the AMA would adopt an extensive multi-year study on the affects of overworked residents on patient safety.

They were so wrapped up in what they were doing that they lost track of time and before they knew it, the clock on Abbey's wall struck 11 p.m.

She bolted from her seat when she noticed. "I can't believe it's so late. I have to go."

"You're right, I'm getting pretty tired myself." The truth was, Alex could have stayed all night if it meant getting to know Abbey better. "I'll walk you to your car?"

Abbey was grateful for the offer. It was in a hospital parking lot seven years earlier when she was attacked by someone she didn't even know. She hadn't told Alex that. She hadn't told anyone who didn't know her then, but she always made it a point not to walk to her car alone at night, even if it meant calling for a security escort. That night, she wouldn't need one, thanks to Alex's generosity. She grabbed her purse and her keys and locked up her office.

"I've got my hands full tomorrow, but maybe Thursday night we can go over the ACGME proposals again?" she asked him as he fell into step with her in the parking lot.

"That'll be fine."

Abbey was oblivious to his feelings. Alex was nothing more than a friend to her. Not even a close friend. Their relationship revolved around work and their mutual interest in reducing resident work hours. They didn't talk about their private lives, their likes or dislikes, their families or loved ones. The only thing she knew about Alex Foster was his resumé - until now. She didn't notice his head move closer. She didn't feel him against her until his lips nearly touched hers. She had one leg in the car, the other on the ground. The driver's side door was sandwiched between them when he leaned in to kiss her. Abbey jerked her head away just as he made contact.

Mortified by what he had done, Alex stepped back. "I'm sorry." He felt the urge to apologize again when Abbey said nothing. "I don't know why I did that." He paused, but then admitted, "No, that's not true. I do know why I did it. Maybe I'm way out of bounds here, but I've been wanting to ask you out for weeks."

"Alex..."

"We barely know each other, but I think we might click."

"Alex, I'm married."

That was the last thing he expected. "You're what?"

"I'm happily married to a man I love more than life itself."

"You're married?" It hadn't sunk in.

"I should have mentioned it before, but it never came up."

"No, it didn't. When I didn't see a ring on your finger, I..." He quickly replayed some of their encounters in his mind and realized that his assumptions were premature.

"I don't wear my ring on the wards." A cloud of awkwardness surrounded them and now, it was Abbey with the urge to apologize. However unintentional, she felt terrible for giving him the impression that she was available. "I'm sorry."

"Not your fault. You know what they say about assumptions. I'll see you later."

She saw the embarrassment on his face and knew she shouldn't stop him. She watched him leave, then climbed into her own car to start the engine. The drive back to the farm allowed her the chance to think about what happened, to remember bits and pieces of the conversations they'd shared since their first meeting a month ago. They'd been partners and allies, working together for a common goal, but she was beginning to think of Alex as more than just a colleague. She was beginning to consider him a friend and she hoped that tonight's incident didn't destroy that budding relationship.

As she turned off the main road and headed towards the glowing porch light of the farm, her mind wandered and she thought about Jed. He was still up, waiting for her like he always did when he wasn't in Washington.

Hearing her car pull up, Jed opened the front door. "It's late."

"We lost all track of time."

"I wouldn't mind a phone call when that happens. You know?"

"You're right, I should have called." Abbey gave him a kiss hello and stepped into the house. He followed her, locking the door behind him. "The girls sound asleep?"

"They better be. It's nearly midnight and they have school tomorrow. That reminds me, Ellie hates junior high."

"She told me."

"When?"

"This afternoon when she got home. She called me at work to complain that she and Wendy didn't get any of the same classes and didn't even get the same lunch period."

"Did she tell you how much she hates her schedule?"

"Yup, right before she begged me not to make her go back. She doesn't like switching classes either."

"I don't remember Lizzie having any trouble adjusting to junior high."

"Lizzie never has trouble adjusting to anything."

"She loves college by the way." Jed was right behind her as she walked to the kitchen.

"She told me." Abbey may have been busy, but not too busy to field calls from all three of her daughters. "She and Cassie are becoming fast friends, aren't they?"

"It's good. One of the perks of living in a dorm." Jed opened the fridge to pull out the spaghetti and meatballs that Mrs. Wilburforce had made as a special first-day-of-school dinner for Ellie and Zoey. "Hungry? I fixed you a plate. I can heat it up."

"No, I'm fine. We had dinner, then snacked all night. I couldn't eat another bite."

"What'd you have?"

"Sandwiches, fruit salad, chips, cookies, you name it."

"You pigged out on junk food?"

"Alex can't work unless he snacks. It was there, so..." Abbey filled a glass with water. As if guilty of something, she held her head down and kept her eyes on the faucet while nonchalantly telling Jed, "He hit on me tonight."

"Who wouldn't hit on you?" Jed joked.

"I'm serious, Jed. He tried to kiss me."

"What?" He thought he heard her wrong.

"It was a misunderstanding."

"What do you mean he tried to kiss you? How do you try to kiss somebody? How can that be a misunderstanding?"

"It's so silly, it's not even worth talking about." She took a sip of her water, her back to him still.

"Then why'd you bring it up?"

"Because I didn't want to keep it from you."

"Keep what from me? Did something happen?"

"No," she said right away. She turned toward him, leaning back against the sink with her glass in her hand. "He didn't know I was married."

"How could he not know?"

"We're not that close, Jed. We don't talk about our private lives, and you know I don't wear my rings to the hospital. Late nights, no ring. He assumed I was single."

"You said he tried to kiss you. How close did he get?"

"Close enough."

"What did you do?"

"I kissed him back," she replied sarcastically. "What do you think I did?"

"I'm just asking."

"I pulled away before he kissed me, told him I was happily married, and that was that." She set her glass down and approached her husband. "Nothing happened."

Jed felt a wave of relief. "Okay."

"That's it? Just okay?"

He nodded, his sincerity clear as day. "I know nothing would happen, Abbey. You surprised me with that one, that's all."

"It surprised me too. I had no inkling until he did what he did."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah."

"He didn't get mad at you, did he?"

"No. The opposite, in fact. He was so embarrassed. He apologized and practically ran to his car. It really was an honest mistake."

Jed could understand that. In Alex's shoes, he might have made the same mistake, especially with a woman like Abbey. "Well, at least he has good taste."

"That's looking on the bright side."

"I can't blame him, Abbey. If we weren't married and I just met you on the street, I'd hit on you too." Abbey smiled. "What are you smiling at?"

"The unexpected. I was afraid you'd be upset about this."

"I don't like the idea of another guy's hands - or lips - on you. But he didn't know and you backed away before he kissed you. I can't make a federal case over a mistake that *almost* happened."

"Hmm."

"What now?"

"Nothing. It's just, that's an amazingly reasonable response."

"What's so amazing about it? I'm a reasonable guy."

"Unless the name Ron Ehrlich is invoked," she teased.

Jed's expression turned sour at the mere mention of Ron. "You ruined the moment, you know that, don't you?"

Abbey chuckled as she swung her arm around him and turned out the lights with her other hand on their way out of the kitchen. "Sorry."

"I don't believe you are."

"You're right, I'm really not."

He raised his hand and gave her a smack to the rear as they approached the stairs.

TBC


	20. Chapter 20

Series: Snapshots of the Past

Story: The Candidate's Daughter

Chapter 20

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Previously: On the first day of school, Ellie was full of nerves, Zoey was excited, and Liz continued to deny that she was feeling ill; when Ellie tried to play her parents against each other for a new pair of ski boats, Jed struck up a compromise, convincing Abbey to let her get a weekend paper route job to pay for them; Abbey's colleague, Alex Foster, made a move on her, unaware that she was married

Summary: It's primary election day and Jed is looking forward to seeing Liz cast her first ballot; Abbey and Alex talk things out; Liz makes a confession to Doug that will change their relationship forever

* * *

Primary Election Day 1986

_"New numbers for the Democratic congressional race between incumbent Jed Bartlet and former State Senator Tony Anderson suggest a Bartlet win tonight..."_

Abbey perked up when she heard her husband's name on the television in the master bedroom.

_"That latest poll shows a Bartlet lead by 12 percent, but the Anderson team maintains that their candidate will pull through in the end, citing internal campaign numbers that give a different outlook on the race..."_

"Oh really?" she grumbled, talking back to the television. "Then why aren't they releasing those numbers?"

_"Turning now to weather..."_

"I'll tell you why. It's because they're lying through their teeth." No one could get Abbey as worked up as Jed's opponents. She tore through her closet and picked out a gray skirt and maroon silk blouse to wear to work. Instead of surgeries, she had scheduled a day in clinic because of the flexibility and shorter hours.

_"...after a sweltering weekend all over the country, cooler weather is on the way for the southwestern United States. Today's highs are only expected to reach 104 degrees in..."_

She punched the power button on the remote when she heard Jed getting out of the shower.

A towel wrapped around his waist, he emerged a minute later. "What hellish place is cooling off to 104 degrees?"

"Some place we'll never go. You should wear your gray tie today."

"Why'd you turn it off?" He gestured to the television. "What are they saying about me?"

"Nothing bad. According to their analysts, it's in the bag."

"Then why'd you turn it off?" he asked again. She ignored him as she pulled a pair of hose out of her dresser drawer. "Abbey?"

"I don't want you worrying about what the press is saying today, good or bad."

"Why not? You are."

"I turned it on to get the weather report." That was a lie.

"Sure you did."

"It's election day, Jed. You can't change your strategy, you can't make another speech. There's nothing to do now but wait until the polls close, so what's the point of watching a bunch of talking heads analyze what hasn't happened yet?"

She was right, he admitted to himself. Listening to the morning shows would undoubtedly lead to a spike in his blood pressure, the last thing he needed today. "Okay, but you're wrong about one thing."

"I am?"

"There is something left to do. We have to vote."

"Yes, we do." Abbey smiled.

"It's a good day, regardless of what happens with the race."

The Bartlets considered voting more than just their civic duty. To them, it was a privilege and had been even before Jed ran for office. Neither Jed nor Abbey had ever missed an election and most years, they traveled to the polls together before work, their daughters in tow. The girls were too young to vote, but that was no excuse to miss out on learning and understanding the political process. Teaching them items on the ballot and letting them help their parents make a decision exposed them to the world around them in a more significant way than any textbook ever could. 'A lesson in living history,' Jed called it, and he prided himself on raising three intelligent, well-informed citizens who believed in the spirit of democracy just as much as he did.

Today was proof of that.

Elizabeth, who hadn't given up her New Hampshire residency when she moved away to college, had made arrangements with her professors to miss classes, toted an overnight bag and a load of laundry, and had driven home to Manchester on Monday afternoon to spend the night at the farmhouse so she could join her parents at the polls on election day to cast her very first ballot as the newest registered voter in the family. It was one of those milestones that came and went in many households in America. For Jed, it was a monumental occasion.

* * *

Ellie bounded down the steps towards the smell of the blueberry muffins coming from the kitchen. It was destined to be one of those hectic mornings. Getting everyone ready to load into the car, drive to the polls, and vote before work and school didn't allow for a formal sit-down family breakfast. So, Abbey had set out two brands of cereal for the girls, a big bowl of fresh fruit, a basket of store-bought muffins and croissants, and an icy pitcher of orange juice.

All those goodies and to Ellie's surprise, Zoey didn't want any of them. She was indulging in her own meal at the kitchen table. "Zoey, you can't have Cracker Jacks for breakfast!"

"Why not?" the six-year-old asked, her mouth full with kernels. She had her sock-clad feet up on her chair and her knees leaning against the table with a box of the sugary treat resting on top.

"It's not a breakfast food. Mom's gonna be mad."

"She never said I couldn't have it."

Abbey came sauntering in then. "What didn't I say you couldn't have?" She looked over at her youngest daughter digging her hand into her box of Cracker Jacks. "Zoey!"

"You never said I couldn't."

"I never said you can't set yourself on fire either, but guess what, you can't." She snatched the box away from her.

"That would hurt," Zoey acknowledged.

"Muffins, cereal, fruit, you don't want any of those?"

"No."

"It'll take me two minutes to scramble up some eggs."

"I don't want eggs either."

"What do you want?"

"Cracker Jacks!"

"Well then, you're out of luck." Abbey put the box back in the cupboard as Jed joined his family in the kitchen, just in time to catch Zoey's eye.

"Daddy!" the six-year-old called out, a whine in her tone. "Mommy won't let me have breakfast and I'm hungry!"

As big a drama queen as Lizzie, Jed thought. He'd overheard the debate from the hall and was prepared to remain neutral. "Hey Zo, remember what I told you about picking your battles?"

"Yeah."

"Reflect on it."

He had two walkie-talkies in his hand. He set them down on the counter in front of his middle daughter.

"Is that for me?" Ellie asked.

"Yup!"

"Cool! But what for?"

"You know what it is?"

"It's a walkie-talkie. I've had them before."

"Not like this, you haven't. It's not a toy; it's the real thing. Top-of-the-line. It's so powerful, you can hear a pin drop from miles away."

"Really?"

"You're starting your paper route on Sunday. I want you to take this with you. Mom and I will keep the other one here and if you need something, just give us a holler."

Revealing the reason for the generous gift deflated Ellie's enthusiasm a bit. "Dad, I'm not a baby."

"It's not about being a baby," Abbey told her.

"Sure it is. You might as well give me a baby monitor to take with me!"

"That's not a bad idea," Jed teased. "Could have saved me some money."

Abbey replied more seriously, "If your bike gets a flat tire, you're going to need help. And what if your jeans get tangled up in your chain again and you fall and get hurt? It's just a precaution, that's all."

"Can I have one too?" Zoey had a pair of Fisher Price walkie-talkies, but this set was the real thing.

"When you're Ellie's age and you start a paper route, I'll buy you one too," Jed promised.

"But that's years from now. It's not fair. I never get fun stuff all because I'm the youngest!"

"Yeah, your life is pretty hard, 'Oh Spoiled One.' " That snark came from Ellie.

"I am NOT spoiled!

"Right, and I'm not blonde."

"That's enough." Abbey glared at the older girl. "I'm not terribly fond of this new attitude you're sporting lately."

"What attitude?"

Ellie had all the symptoms of a preteen on the cusp of becoming a moody teenager, something that Abbey wasn't quite ready for. After going through it with Liz, she hoped that Ellie would be different. She was quieter, more sensitive, and less sassy than her sister, but the angsty teen bug was hitting her early and Abbey saw shades of unattractive behavior she was determined to circumvent.

Jed listened quietly to the back-and-forth between mother and daughter, but when the doorbell rang, he welcomed the interruption, pushing out his chair and jumping to his feet. "I got it."

He strode into the living room and toward the door to find Doug waiting on the other side.

"Hi," the younger man said. "Liz invited me."

"For breakfast?"

"No, she wants me to go to the polls with her." He stepped inside when Jed opened the door further.

"You are aware, Doug, that you can't just vote anywhere. You have to vote at your own polling place."

"I know. I'm gonna vote later."

Jed hollered upstairs. "Liz, you have a guest!"

"I'll be down in a minute!" she hollered back.

Liz was up in her room, where she had locked the door and barricaded it with an oak chair from her desk. She stripped down to her bra and underwear and stood sideways in front of the mirror, looking for it - that bump that pregnant women got. She didn't have one, to her relief. Was it too soon to tell, she wondered as she grabbed a tape measure to check her waistline. A little bigger than it was weeks earlier. Her clothes also felt a bit snug these days. Abbey had warned her about the 'Freshman Fifteen,' and Liz convinced herself that's what it was, even though she'd only been at Wellesley for three weeks, not nearly long enough to pack on those notorious pounds that often plagued first-year college students.

She'd been feeling bloated over the past week and a felt a touch of relief that it was just water retention and that everything was fine. But the queasiness in the pit of her stomach grew and this time, it was fear that spurred it on. She did everything right, she lamented. Doug used a condom when they began sleeping together and when he wanted to ditch that method of birth control, she saw a doctor who put her on the pill. She took them religiously, never missing a single dose. How could it not have worked? How could that one-percent chance have become a reality? How could she have gotten pregnant?

Downstairs in the kitchen, Doug sat at the table with Ellie and Zoey, munching on the muffin Abbey had offered him.

Jed poured Abbey a mug of steaming hot coffee at the counter and slid it toward her when he was done. He then grabbed his own mug from the table. "Can you ask Mrs. Wilburforce to pick up the girls from school this afternoon? It looks like I'll be in debate prep all day."

"I already told her."

"You did? How did you know?"

Since their communication breakdown weeks earlier, Abbey had made every effort to keep track of Jed's schedule. Somedays, she knew it better than he did. "It's not top secret, Jed."

Doug looked over at Jed. "You're prepping for the debate now, Mr. Bartlet?"

"Yeah."

"You haven't won the primary yet."

"You don't wait until you win to do things, Doug. You always plan five steps ahead."

"But won't it be a waste of time if you lose today?"

Ellie tapped Doug under the table with her foot, a subtle nudge to warn him not to get her father all riled up this morning.

Jed didn't show his annoyance. He calmly replied to the young man, "I'll be spending the afternoon coming up with ways to help the people in my district navigate issues from unemployment to welfare reform to nuclear power. I prefer to think of that as time well spent, no matter of what happens with the election."

Abbey did the nudging then. She put a hand on her husband's shoulder and stepped up beside him in a show of pride and gratitude that Jed didn't throw out a snarky quip in response to Doug's question. But despite his measured reply, silence dawned over the breakfast table. Ellie bowed her head, the full weight of her concentration directed squarely on her muffin while Zoey's eyes darted from Doug to Jed as she spooned her cereal. Even at her tender age, she could feel the tension between the two men.

It was Elizabeth who lightened things up when she sashayed into the kitchen, donning a radiant smile. No one knew that moments earlier, she'd been quivering with anxiety in her room. Somehow, she had managed to calm herself. Her fears of pregnancy were shoved to the back her mind, sequestered until another day. It was a sort of denial. That little part of Lizzie who, as a child, used to squeeze her eyes really tight and slip into a fantasy world where she could table her chores and postpone anything she wasn't ready to deal with, was alive and well inside Liz's adult body. She had given herself a pep talk in the mirror, told herself that her nausea might be the result of a delayed adjustment to college, not a baby growing in her womb. Then, she changed into a navy blue, belted, cap-sleeve dress, twisted her hair into a side chignon, and walked downstairs with the composure of confident young woman ready for the day ahead.

"There she is...the voter!" Jed sang his words like a familiar tune.

"I'm not flying to the moon, Dad. I'm just voting. It's no big deal."

"Pretty dress!" Abbey handed her a muffin and a glass to pour herself some juice from the pitcher.

"Thanks." Liz took the seat next to Doug, whose eyes lit up at her presence.

"It's a very big deal, young lady!" Jed continued. "And if you didn't think it was, you wouldn't have dressed up for it."

"I dressed up because I knew the press would be there and I want to look presentable."

"More like you want to mug for the camera."

"Hey, if the camera happens to catch me in the shot, there's nothing I can do about that."

"Spoken like a true starlet."

Talk of the press got Ellie's attention. "Wait, the press is going to be there?"

"They're always there when Dad goes to vote, you know that."

"Yeah, but that's for the general election. They weren't there for the primary last time."

Abbey recognized that tone. Ellie hated facing hordes of reporters. They always crowded her and made her feel claustrophobic when they aimed their cameras at Jed. She sat down next to Ellie and reassured her with a stroke of her hand. "You can ride with me. We'll wait until they follow your dad into the building before we get out of the car."

Liz didn't mind that idea. "And Doug, Zoey, and I can ride with Dad." She gave her father a cheeky little grin. "He can bore us with his painfully dry dissertation on the history of voting in America along the way."

"Would you like to walk to the polls, smartass?" Jed grabbed the chair beside Abbey.

"I have my own car."

"Yeah, thanks to who?"

Liz answered, "Mom."

"Right," Jed scoffed. "Because Mom's the reasonable one. I thought you were past the age of fairytales," he winked at Abbey as he lifted a ham and cheese croissant from the basket. "By the way, you just sassed yourself out of an opportunity. I was going to invite you to help out with debate prep this afternoon."

"Me? How could I have helped?"

"Depends on what you've learned at school."

"Dad, classes only began two weeks ago."

"Two weeks is a long time in college. You must have picked up something from those fancy poli sci courses you're taking."

"Fat chance. I changed my major," Liz provoked him with a deadpan expression.

"To what?" Jed put on a serious face, his eyes piercing Liz's.

"Semiotics, the study of symbols." She raised a brow at her father, baiting him as she waited for the explosion she was sure was coming.

Unfooled, Jed skirted the bait and threw his gaze to Abbey. "I liked her a lot better when she was too young to talk."

* * *

The state of New Hampshire hosted its presidential primary in late February 1986, three weeks before Elizabeth turned 18. She was ineligible to vote and on election day, she complained to anyone who would listen, until her grandfather gave her a dose of reality. She'd turn 18 in March, he'd said, and she'd vote in September, the day of the state primary, where she'd cast her very first ballot for her father for United States Congressman from the First Congressional District of New Hampshire. Presidential politics couldn't compete with that.

That warm September morning, she offered the front seat to Zoey and climbed into the back seat of Jed's car with Doug so they could drive to the First Emmanuel Episcopal Church, the Bartlets' polling place.

"You vote in a church?" Doug was stunned that Jed would cast a single vote in a house of worship, knowing that sometimes, his votes betrayed the religious beliefs he clung to so tightly.

"Yeah. It drives my dad nuts, but that's where we're assigned. He tried to change it years ago."

"What happened?"

"A bunch of talk and nothing was ever done about it."

"I could see him organizing a protest over something like that."

"Protesting doesn't always help. There's protocol and diplomacy that go into negotiating something like banning the use of churches as polling stations, especially when you're an elected official."

From the driver's seat, Jed glanced at Liz through the rearview mirror. She was sitting directly behind him, schooling Doug on the fundamentals of political activism. There was a world of information she'd learn in the next four years, but she understood the intricate framework of the democratic process and the depth of her knowledge impressed him. It was as if he was listening to himself talk 20 years earlier, he thought as his heart swelled with pride.

And then, Doug piped in. "I could never run for office."

"...for any number of reasons," Jed blurted out. A sudden thud jolted him, the result of Liz kicking his chair. "I was kidding!" he hollered back at her. "Where's your sense of humor?"

"I don't have one!"

Jed pulled into the parking lot and dodged the photographer from the paper and the camera guy from Channel 7 to navigate the turn toward the spaces at the front of the church. He stepped out after parking and met Doug at the sidewalk, where he greeted him with an outstretched hand.

"Lest there be any confusion, thanks to Miss Cranky Pants over there..." He glared at Liz. "I want to be clear, I was kidding."

Liz stood unamused, though she was grateful for the handshake. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Now go vote."

"Calling me 'Miss Cranky Pants' isn't going to make me compliant to your orders."

"If I leave you here, I bet you'll be compliant then." Jed noticed the photographer snapping a picture. It was time to get serious. "Are you squared away on the issues? There's a public policy initiative. You know what it's for, right?"

"State lottery."

"Do you know how you're going to vote on it?"

"Yeah."

"There's a ballot question about outlawing snowmobiling in the White Mountains..."

"I know."

Doug furrowed his brows at that. "Who'd want to ban snowmobiling?"

"Environmentalists," Liz told him.

"You know the pros and cons?" Jed didn't want to tell her how to vote, but he wanted to be sure she was fully informed when she stepped inside the voting booth.

"Yes."

"And the referendum..."

"I know, Dad. I know every single item on the ballot and I already know how I'm going to vote on all of them..." She took a beat, a mischievous glint in her eye. "...except one."

"Which one?"

"I haven't quite made up my mind on the Democratic race for the U.S. House. Wanna make a pitch for your guy?"

"My guy can make you hitch a ride home. There's your pitch."

"Gee, where's your sense of humor?"

"You really are a smartass." She giggled as he smacked her with his suit jacket as he pulled it out of the car.

"Guess who I take after?"

Jed grabbed Zoey's hand then and led the excited six-year-old into the church just ahead of Liz and Doug, who fell a step behind. "Say, Zo, did I ever tell you we once gave Lizzie up for adoption?"

"YOU DID?"

"Yup! The new parents sent her back."

* * *

Doctor Alex Foster wasn't used to rejection. As a published researcher and highly trained cardiothoracic surgeon, he didn't face much rejection professionally. He never had. Like Abbey, he received his medical degree from one Ivy League university and did his residency at another. His impressive credentials opened doors, often before he even knocked.

The problem was, he wasn't nearly as talented socially. He had married his college sweetheart and spent 25 years as a committed and faithful husband. They settled down in the Connecticut suburbs, a happy and active couple whose social calendar often included hospital benefits and charity fundraisers. But Julia's death made him a recluse, one who didn't know how to live in the world without her. He slipped into a depression so deep after losing her that he quit his job and bought a lakeside cabin in upstate New York, where he spent two years grieving, alone, behind closed doors. When he was ready to face the world again, he tried to reclaim his life. The first step was returning to Yale as adjunct professor and board-certified surgeon. It didn't last. All his old Connecticut haunts reminded him of Julia and he longed for a change of scenery, a fresh start, away from the reminders that threatened to keep him tethered to the memories of the past. Once again, he fled; this time, on a one-way drive to New Hampshire.

It was supposed to be a career move - working at a Darthmouth-affiliated hospital and eventually, squirming his way to a full-time professorship. But then he met Abbey. She was smart, outgoing, and every bit as sexy as Julia, and that was the root of his attraction. But she wasn't Julia. She didn't look like Julia, she didn't talk like Julia, she didn't even act like Julia. She was attractive in her own way and that enticed Alex, so much so that he started to feel things he hadn't felt in years. He had tried to kiss her while walking her to her car one night. When she resisted, he learned that she was married. He kicked himself for being so stupid and in the process, he retreated inside the shell he'd constructed the day he buried his wife.

Abbey understood the embarrassment he felt, although she had no idea he was also a grief-stricken widower. She wanted to reach out to him, but the awkwardness went both ways. Did she unknowingly lead him on, she wondered. Was it her fault that he got the wrong idea about their relationship? She was just as nervous as he was about striking up a conversation again, so when she ran into him in the hospital cafeteria that Tuesday afternoon, two weeks after their near-kiss, she briefly debated running out before he saw her. The coward's way out, she thought. She turned toward him and then, taking a deep breath, she sidled up beside him and took a chance.

"Roast beef?" she asked. He looked at her quizzically. "It's Tuesday."

"I'm that predictable?"

"No more so than anyone else around here." An awkward gap between them kept them silent for several uncomfortable seconds, until Abbey stated the obvious. "You've been avoiding me."

Alex grabbed a pair of utensils and pushed his tray toward the cashier. "The avoidance was mutual, don't you think?"

"Touché," Abbey replied. "I didn't know what to say to you."

"Ditto."

"We work together. I think we need to figure it out. I don't want to dance around you every time we run into each other."

"I don't either." He led her to a table and held out a chair for her. "Believe me, Abbey, if I had known you were married, I never would have..."

"I know."

"It was a foolish assumption I made."

"We never talked about it. How were you supposed to know?"

"Did you tell your husband?"

"As a matter of fact, I did."

"Does he want to knock me out?"

"No," Abbey laughed. "Jed was understanding about the whole thing."

"Jed? Jed Bartlet is your husband?" He should have put it all together, but Alex was a fairly new resident of New Hampshire and with all the time he spent at work, he'd barely followed the election.

"Yeah."

"So not only did I hit on my married colleague. I hit on the wife of my congressman." He sighed. "If that doesn't qualify me for loser of the year..."

"It doesn't. It was my fault for not being more upfront."

"Hardly." Desperate to steer the conversation away from his faux pas, Alex said, "I hear your husband's a shoo-in for the primary."

"Knock on wood."

"Why are you at work today?"

"He's in debate prep all day. We'll meet up again tonight." She took a sip of water. "Did you vote?"

Alex admitted shyly, "Don't hold it against me, but I haven't registered in New Hampshire yet."

"That's something we must work on before the general election."

That drew a smile out of him. He let his guard down, and with it went the embarrassment that had gnawed at him this whole time. Abbey had a way about her. She put him at ease almost instantly.

"You have kids too, right? I remember a Father's Day spread in the Union Leader."

"Three daughters. Our oldest just went off to college and our youngest started first grade two weeks ago." Abbey resisted the urge to pull out pictures of the girls. She was more interested in keeping the conversation fluid. "How about you? Were you ever married? Do you have kids?"

"I was married for a while. We decided early on that our careers didn't allow much time for raising children, so we opted not to have them. Did I miss out?"

"Today, I'd say yes. Ask me again next week, you might get a different answer, depending on what they've done."

He chuckled. "Sounds about right."

Abbey felt comfortable with him too. She thought back to their first meeting and how abrupt it was. All their meetings after that were so rushed that all they ever talked about were patients and hospital policy. She regretted that now.

"It's a shame we didn't discuss all this before. We could have gotten to know each other, formed a real friendship before we delved into the AMA thing."

"And avoided an unnecessary bump in the road."

"That too." It wasn't too late, Abbey thought. "What do you say we start over?"

"From scratch?"

She nodded and extended her hand across the table. "I'm Abbey Bartlet."

"Alex Foster. Nice to meet you."

* * *

It was the first full day that Elizabeth had to spend with Doug since before she left for college. They popped into Jed's debate prep, but he slipped them some money and allowed them to take off and enjoy the gorgeous afternoon. Doug treated her to a movie and afterwards, Liz treated him to lunch at Friendly's, then asked him to drive them to Rock Rimmon Park. The park held a special place in her heart. It was where they went on their first date. They had hiked the short trail up to the bluff overlooking the city that night. The stars had twinkled above them, diamonds on a blue velvet sky, so bright that even the lights from downtown Manchester couldn't dim them.

It was a different story today. A haze of clouds had blocked the sun and the view was anything but pretty.

Doug didn't care. They sat on a ridge, him behind her with his arms wrapped around her shoulders. "We haven't been here in a long time."

"That's why I wanted to come."

"I miss you, Liz."

"I miss you too."

"Do you?"

She turned around to face him. "Why would you ask that?"

"It seems like you're so busy with school and all your new friends that sometimes I don't think you give me a second thought."

"That's not true. I think about you all the time."

"Maybe I'm just paranoid."

"Paranoid about what?"

"Losing you."

"Why do you think you'll lose me?"

"I've never been with a girl like you before. Sometimes I have to pinch myself. I love you so much."

"I love you too."

"I keep thinking something's going to ruin it."

"Nothing's going to ruin it." Her hands caressing his cheeks, she leaned in to kiss him.

Doug kissed her back and muttered flirtatiously when he broke the kiss, "We'd have a lot more privacy at my place."

"My dad's victory party is tonight."

"We won't miss it."

"I'm only in town for one night. I don't want to spend the little time we have together in bed."

He saw the hesitation written all over her face. "Why not?"

"Doug."

"No, I'm serious. A few weeks ago, it seemed like that's all you wanted. We couldn't get enough of each other."

"Not anymore, okay?"

"Liz, what's going on?"

"Is that all you want for us - just a sexual relationship and that's it?"

"Who said that's it? I thought we had a lot more than that going for us."

She took a breath and told him honestly, "If you want to know the truth, I don't think we were ready to take that step."

"To sleep together? Where did that come from?"

"Never mind. We should get back."

She stood up and he followed. "No, not until we talk about this."

"Why are you getting mad?"

"I'm not getting mad. I'm confused. You just said that nothing's going to come between us. You made me think that I'm being paranoid for thinking that you're pushing me away."

"You ARE being paranoid."

"Really? Because three weeks ago, we were great. We could blow an entire Saturday in bed together. Then you go away to college and suddenly, it was a mistake to sleep together?"

"We weren't 'great', Doug. We had spats, remember?"

"All couples have spats. We resolved them."

"Fine, Doug! Fine, if that's all you want...to sleep with me...then let's just do it right here!" In drama-queen fashion, Liz took off her belt as if she was going to strip right there at the park.

"Yeah, cause that's exactly what I meant." He turned from her.

She rubbed her forehead and when he turned back to face her, she said apologetically, "I just don't feel like it today."

"We don't have to do it. I don't want to pressure you; that's not what I was getting at. I only got upset because it's part of a bigger picture. It's like I said, since you went to Wellesely, things have changed."

"Maybe some things have. My feelings for you haven't."

"I don't believe that. You're distant. You put on this act, even around your family, but it's like you're upset about something and you won't tell me what." He waited for a response, but didn't get one. "Did I do something? Do you want to break up?"

"No."

"Then what's going on? What's different between us?"

It took several minutes, but Liz finally admitted in a soft, quiet voice, "I'm late, Doug."

"Late...for what?"

"Late late." She gave him an unmistakable look, her left brow arched. "You know?"

"What? How can that be? You're on the pill."

"Nothing's 100 percent."

"How late are you?"

"Almost a month. I'm supposed to take the regular pills for three weeks and then there's the placebo week with what they call a withdrawal bleed."

"And?"

"I never got it."

"So what does that mean?"

"The reason you're supposed to have it is because when the hormone levels change, the uterine lining breaks down..."

"And if there's a baby, that won't happen?" Doug went pale.

"Yeah."

"Oh God."

"It doesn't mean I'm pregnant for sure!" Liz spat out in an effort to calm him before he got too worked up.

"You just said..."

"In some people, their periods stop altogether when they're on the pill. They don't even get the withdrawal bleed. Maybe I'm one of those people."

"You don't believe that any more than I do. A month?" He mumbled to himself before looking over at her. "Why didn't you tell me? This whole time, you've been putting on this act and I could tell that something was going on, but you denied it. We spent the whole day together and you didn't think to tell me that you might be pregnant?"

"I didn't know what to do. I didn't know how to tell you. I didn't even know how to process it myself."

"So you've been pretending it isn't happening?"

Tears rolled down her cheeks. "I'm sorry."

Her crying softened Doug. If there was one thing he couldn't stand, it was seeing Liz cry. He approached her and gently wrapped her up in his arms. "Don't...don't cry. I'm sorry I freaked out."

"I'm so scared."

"We're in this together, Liz. We'll take a pregnancy test. It'll be okay."

She held him tighter. "What if it's positive? What are we gonna do?"

"We'll take care of it."

"What do we know about taking care of a baby?"

He stroked her hair and swallowing past the lump in his throat, he said, "That's not what I meant."

Liz felt his hug, so fierce that she couldn't have broken it even if she wanted to. Fortunately for her, she didn't want to. She couldn't bear to look into his eyes, for she thought she'd see a reflection of the fear that had dulled her own eyes in the last few minutes, even before he hinted at the option she hadn't yet considered. Abortion. That's what he implied. She didn't know what to expect from Doug, but his immediate response convinced her that he was just as scared as she was. She dug her nails into his shirt and buried her face in his shoulder, afraid to let go of the one person in the world who understood the anxiety tumbling inside her.

* * *

Doug took a back road out of the park that night. He and Liz hadn't said much to each other since her confession and that's exactly the way he wanted it. He didn't know what to say to her and he feared what she might say to him. If she was pregnant, how would she feel? Horrified, yes. But enough to consider not having the baby? She'd told him once that she didn't want kids, that she wanted to get married and build a career. With her lofty goals, there'd be no time for children, she had claimed. Would she still feel that way if it turned out she was carrying their child in her womb?

Liz stared out the window of his car as if trapped in a trance. She was harboring thoughts similar to Doug's, but she didn't dare tell him. It was too much too soon. She'd barely come to terms with the possibility of being pregnant; she couldn't bring herself to entertain the consequences if she was. She tried desperately to revert back to where she was this morning, but no amount of fantasy play was going to be enough to let her slip back into denial, not with Doug sitting right beside her, as worried and anxious as she was.

They passed a 'Bartlet for Congress' sign on the road and Liz remember her father's party. "Where are you going?"

"To the drug store and then to my place."

"Doug, I can't take the test tonight."

"We have to know, Liz."

"But my dad's party...we're already late."

"We can't go to the party."

"What are you talking about? I have to go."

"It's obvious you've been crying. What are you going to say when your parents ask you what's wrong? It's not like you can tell them."

Liz hadn't thought about that. She hadn't even been ready to tell Doug. The thought of telling her parents was inconceivable. She replied sadly, "I'll make something up."

"What about the press?" Doug persisted. He was scared too and the last thing he wanted was people finding out that he'd gotten Liz pregnant. They were in no shape to go to a party.

"What about the press? It's the primary. They're not gonna go all out. They'll send a photographer and a couple of cameras. I just won't talk to anyone."

"Your eyes are puffy and red and there are mascara tracks down your cheeks, not to mention you can see that something is wrong all over your face. You want that on tape?"

"I'll fix my makeup. They won't notice." Her voice was softer now. Feeble. Reflective of the fact that she was considering all this for the very first time.

"And if they do? You know how they scrutinize these things, looking for any hint of drama to exaggerate and put on the news."

He was right. She looked like the old cliche of a deer caught in the headlights. All it would take is one shot of her hugging her father for that look to be frozen in time, captured for posterity in the Union Leader. Not only would she be humiliated, but her parents would be as well. What would it do to her father's campaign, she wondered. If people found out, it would open him up to scorn and criticism in the community. He'd be running for re-election while fighting the shame of a pregnant teenage daughter.

And even if she managed to skirt the press the whole night and avoid the headlines she dreaded the most, she'd have no way of avoiding her family. Now that she'd admitted the truth to Doug, she couldn't live in denial any longer. It was as if her feelings were on display and her mother would sense it immediately. Another wave of panic crashed over her and her eyes filled with tears once again as she reluctantly asked Doug to take her to his place so she could call her parents and make up an excuse for missing her dad's big night.

TBC


	21. Chapter 21

Series: Snapshots of the Past

Story: The Candidate's Daughter

Chapter 21

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Previously: On primary election day, Jed looked forward to watching Liz cast her first ballot; Liz told Doug she thought she was pregnant, then missed Jed's victory party for fear her family and the press would know that something was wrong; Abbey worked things out with Alex Foster, the doctor who had a crush on her before learning she was married

Summary: Liz has a difficult choice to make and the fact that she's getting off to a rough start in college makes things even harder on her; Ellie has trouble fitting in in junior high; Jed is excited about a family getaway, until Liz cancels; Abbey realizes Jed isn't comfortable with her friendship with Alex

* * *

It was just before dawn at Wellesley College. Most of the girls at Severance Hall, the dormitory on the west side of campus, were still wrapped up in their blankets, enjoying the last few minutes of slumber before alarm clocks rang throughout building, signaling the start of another Friday morning. In room 322, though, Elizabeth was wide awake. It had been a sleepless week for her and Thursday night was the worst. She had spent four hours on the phone with Doug, discussing their options now that they had confirmed that she was pregnant. He voted for an abortion and had just about convinced her by the time they hung up. Liz tossed and turned all night, her mind in overdrive trying to come to terms with the next step in what she considered an epic nightmare.

It was a futile effort. Part of her wanted to do what Doug suggested, but the other part couldn't imagine the emotional pain and paralyzing guilt that would come from aborting a child. She grew up in a pro-choice family; she was raised to believe that the law shouldn't interfere with a woman's right to end her pregnancy. But that pro-choice family was also a Catholic family. Outside of politics, she was raised to know that from a religious standpoint, abortion was wrong. How many times had her father shared stories of the eight months he spent traveling the country speaking to young women about this very issue? He discouraged them. He became a spiritual leader among his peers and counseled troubled teenagers who felt abortion was their only answer.

That was at Notre Dame, before he'd met Abbey. Before he'd changed his major. Before he'd abandoned his plans of joining the priesthood. Liz felt a tremble at the memory of those stories. Her father was a devout Catholic, on the verge of dedicating his entire life to serving God, and although he chose love instead, he never turned away from the Church. It was at the core of who he was, a light that guided him in his life, as a husband, a father, and even a congressman. He was a traditional man with traditional values. What would he say if he found out his eldest daughter, the apple of his eye, was an unwed, pregnant teenager and that she, like all the ones he'd counseled, was considering aborting her unborn child?

A strike of anxiety sliced that thought right out of her mind.

Several calming breaths later, she threw her legs over her bed and rose from her tangled sheets. Quietly, she tiptoed around Cassie's bed to pull a pair of jeans from her dresser and a long-sleeved pink and white sweatshirt. She left the room, her sock-clad feet slipping and sliding on the hardwood floor in the hall until she reached the elevator and stuffed herself into her sneakers.

The Houghton Memorial Chapel was on the other side of campus and that's where Liz was headed. Her long strides evolved into a sprint across the quad and toward the glass-stained building that housed both religious ceremonies and campus events, like Flower Sunday, the traditional Wellesley celebration and welcome held every September for incoming freshmen. She hadn't been to the chapel since then. It was less than a month ago and yet, it felt like an eternity. Her whole life had changed since that Sunday afternoon. She needed guidance and reassurance now. That's what led her to the only place that she knew she could bare her soul and make peace with the road ahead.

She opened the door and walked the aisle toward the front pew, where she sat down and began to pray. Her prayers were jumbled, a combination of emotions that spilled from deep inside her heart, from sorrow and remorse to tearful pleas for help. She fell to her knees and begged for some sign, some divine inspiration as to what she was supposed to do. She was in over her head and she was terrified of what came next.

* * *

The academic year was only three weeks old and already, the students at East Manchester Junior High had taken notice of Ellie Bartlet. She was the shy blond in the seventh grade, the one who tried so hard to blend in that she stood out in another way. Ellie never raised her hand in class, but when she was called on, she always had the answers. Her notebooks and binders were filled with not only homework, but class notes that she'd scribble during lecture. She was smart, prepared, and on top of her game.

But Ellie was also lonely. Most of her elementary school friends had been assigned to another school and the ones who came to EMJHS had a different class schedule. She navigated the halls alone between classes, except for the occasional run-in with her best friend, Wendy. They'd meet up at their lockers, exchange notes, and go their separate ways. And lunch was even worse. None of her old friends shared her lunch period, so she sat by herself most days and studied over her meal.

That was the plan for that Friday afternoon. Ellie clutched her brown-bagged lunch and the Pre-Algebra book she'd taken out of her backpack as she walked into the cafeteria. She looked for an empty table, but on her way toward one, she heard her name called.

"Ellie!"

She turned to find three girls signaling for her to join them.

"Hi," she said as if talking to total strangers.

One of the girls gestured to the chair beside her. "Have a seat."

"Thanks."

"You don't know us, do you?" another girl asked. Embarrassed, Ellie gave a weak nod, trying to pretend she did. "It's okay. We're in your Pre-Algebra class. I'm Lacy. That's Nicole and Celia."

Ellie smiled at the trio. "Nice to meet you."

"We see you're holding your math book," Nicole replied. "Were you planning to study?"

"I just wanted to go over what we did today," Ellie told her, hoping not to sound like the ultimate nerd.

"Mind if we go over it together?"

"No, not at all."

Ellie propped her book on the table and opened it to Chapter 3. She then pulled out her notes and passed them around. The study session turned into a tutoring session at that point, with Ellie teaching the three girls what they'd covered so far. But she didn't mind. She'd inherited her father's talent for teaching and if it won over these girls and gave her some friends, she was happy to do it.

The bell rang before they got through all the material.

Lacy was the first one up. She gathered her books and asked, "So, what are you doing this weekend? Wanna get together and go over the rest before the test next week?"

"I can't," Ellie said regretfully. "I'm going away with my parents."

"Bummer."

"Lacy really needs to pass this time or her parents are going to send her away to boarding school," Nicole volunteered.

"Shut up, Nic!"

"This time?" Ellie questioned.

"It's my second time through." Lacy was reluctant to admit that. "I had some trouble last year."

"Aren't you in my grade?"

"No, we're eight graders...well, except for math. Celia and Nicole were in general math last year, but I tested into Pre-Algebra and then ended up failing it. If I don't pass this time, I'll have to repeat all of eight grade."

"Oh."

"Can you help me?"

Ellie felt a twinge of suspicion that she was being used, but she felt bad for the girl. She barely even knew her, but she liked her. "Yeah, we can study together next week."

"That would be great! You're a life-saver!" Lacy led the way out of the cafeteria and toward the double doors that faced the courtyard.

Ellie stopped when Celia shoved the doors open. "Where are you going?"

"We're ditching History, duh. There's a convenience store down the road. We need snacks. Come with."

"I..." Ellie hesitated. "I have English now."

"So skip," Celia told her, like it was no big deal. "We'll be back in plenty of time for sixth period."

"I can't skip."

"Of course you can," Lacy countered.

"My parents will kill me!"

"That's only if they find out. No one will know. Come on, I'll buy you a pack of gum. It's the least I can do for the genius who's going to help me pass math!"

Ellie weighed her options, but she just couldn't do it. Skipping class wasn't in her nature. "I don't think so. I really need to get to English."

"Okay then. Suit yourself."

The three girls linked arms and went on their way, laughing and cracking jokes while Ellie watched the door close behind them, then walked off to class, alone once again.

* * *

Elizabeth's day went from bad to worse. Lost in thought, she bowed her head and shuffled her feet toward her one o'clock lecture - American Politics. It was an introductory course that bridged analysis of the U.S. Constitution, law, history, interest groups, the media, and other elements of the United States political system. 'An easy A' was how Jed referred to it when Liz registered for the class. With her first-hand knowledge of the political process, the course would be a breeze, he thought.

Liz agreed with him. It should have been an easy A for her, and it would have been, had she not been tangled up in her own drama. She hadn't studied much for her first exam. She went into it nearly blind, thinking that because it was an essay exam, she could draw on her experiences on her father's campaign and string some words together to get credit.

She was wrong.

The scores had been posted on the wall outside the classroom that day. Liz scanned the list in search of her student number and when she found it, she followed the line over to the grade to see something she never expected. To her horror, she had earned an F.

An F?

Liz didn't earn F's. She was used to making A's in high school. Sometimes, she made B's on quizzes. And occasionally, if she was ill-prepared, she might have gotten a C on a worksheet or an assignment. But an F? On an exam? And it wasn't even her first F in college. She'd found out two days earlier that she'd failed her psychology exam as well. Her economics exam was scheduled for Monday, but considering she hadn't put in any study time, she felt confident that she would fail that too.

How could she be getting F's, she asked herself angrily. She looked at the other grades posted in the hall - A's and B's mainly. There was no denying it, the students at Wellesley were smart and here she was, used to being the smartest girl in her class, earning the lowest grades in college.

Panic rose from her stomach and she stepped back, then ducked out of the building and ran to her dorm.

* * *

The day began at Bartlet for Congress headquarters with a round of press calls and the phones had never stopped ringing. Jed's approval rating among New Hampshire voters skyrocketed when he won the Democratic primary, and his poll numbers for the general election hit an all-time high. The staff rode his wave of popularity, working overtime to maintain the momentum with a slew of appearances and fundraisers that barely gave their candidate time to breathe.

But this weekend would afford Jed a break. The annual Bartlet family summer vacation to the national parks had to be postponed this year thanks to the primary election, so Jed and Abbey planned for a short September getaway instead and, with the girls' input, charted an itinerary that would take them to White Mountains National Forest. They would leave tonight and return on Sunday, packing as much fun as they possibly could into the abbreviated trip. Jed was looking so forward to it that he'd strutted the office all day, humming Cole Porter's 'It's De-Lovely,' a clear indication to everyone around that he was in a good mood.

"The night is young," he sang at his desk that afternoon. "...the skies are clear, and if you want to go walkin', dear, it's delightful, it's delicious, it's de-lovely."

With his door propped open, Mrs. Landingham overheard and contributed the next line in her own singing voice as she wandered in, "I understand the reason why you're sentimental 'cause so am I."

"It's delightful, it's delicious, it's de-lovely," they sang in unison.

"That was great!" Jed beamed. "We should sing a tune everyday!"

"We can do that, but in the meantime, Elizabeth's on the phone," Mrs. Landingham informed him.

Jed grabbed the receiver. "Lizzie! How are you, sweetheart?"

Just hearing his voice eased some of Liz's panic. "Hi, Dad. I'm okay."

"How's college life? Are you kicking ass and taking names?"

Hardly, she thought to herself. "I have some bad news."

"What is it?"

"I can't make it home this weekend. I can't go with you guys to the White Mountains."

"Oh Lizzie, come on." Jed was visibly disappointed.

"I'm sorry."

"You missed my victory party last week because you were sick, you didn't come home last weekend because of that paper you had to write, and now you're bailing on the trip?"

"I have an exam in Economics on Monday. I have to study."

"Well why didn't you just say so? Bring your book along and I'll help you! I promise you'll ace that exam!"

"Dad, I really want to do it on my own. I can't go, I'm sorry."

"We've had this planned for..." He cut himself off. He had to respect her for wanting to study. "Yeah, okay."

"Don't be mad."

"I'm not mad, sweetheart. I'll never be mad at you for wanting to excel at school."

Liz cringed at that. If he only knew. "Tell Mom for me?"

Jed detected something that wasn't quite right in her tone. "Lizzie, what's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"You sound upset." It occurred to him then. "Didn't you have two exams this week? How'd you do on those?"

Moment of truth. Liz's eyes welled with tears. She couldn't tell him. It was too hard to admit to being a failure. She swallowed past the lump in her throat and said, "I aced them."

"That's my girl!" Jed lowered the receiver when Mrs. Landingham walked back in. "Liz is acing her classes."

"We knew she would!" Mrs. Landingham replied loud enough for Liz to hear. "Congratulations, Lizzie!"

"Thanks."

Liz rubbed her forehead so hard, it turned red. She was mad at herself for lying. If only she could tell him. It would take two seconds to blurt it out - 'I failed, Dad. I can't study, I can't concentrate, I can't think about anything because I'm pregnant.' Maybe he'd understand. Maybe he'd help her. Maybe he'd comfort her and assure her that everything would be okay. She thought about taking the chance, but then she remembered how badly he reacted when she came home tipsy on graduation night. She remembered how he blew up at her when he thought she was smoking. She remembered how he blamed Doug for leading her down a path she never would have gone down on her own. She remembered all that and suddenly, she was terrified of telling her father. This would be bigger than drinking or smoking. He'd be disappointed in her for giving into hormones, angry with her for getting pregnant. He'd lose all respect for her and he'd never look at her the same way again. She couldn't tell him. He could never know.

Back at the office, Mrs. Landingham addressed Jed. "Lee Spencer is on line two. It's about the endorsement."

"That was fast." Jed spoke into the phone, "All right, angel face, I'm going to let you go. Mom will want to talk to you before we leave tonight, so we'll call you later."

"Okay." One last second for Liz to blurt out the truth. She didn't do it.

"Love you."

"I love you too. Bye."

As she hung up the phone, she turned to face her roommate, Cassie.

"I don't get it. Why won't you let him help you study for your test?" Cassie knew Liz was struggling with Economics.

"I can't study for the test this weekend."

"But that's why you canceled on them, isn't it?"

Liz looked at her. In the short time they'd been roommates, they'd also become friends and what she needed now, more than anything, was a friend. "It's not the real reason."

"What is the real reason?" Cassie crossed the room to sit beside her on her bed. "Liz, I know something's going on. You've been so depressed. You've been crying a lot and you never want to do anything. You're barely attending your classes, I never see you study. I thought you were homesick, but now that you're canceling on your family, I can't figure it out."

"Don't judge me, okay?"

"I won't."

Liz took a deep breath and as tears trailed down her cheeks, she admitted, "I'm pregnant, Cass."

"Oh my God."

"Doug wants me to have an abortion this weekend."

"And you're going to?"

"I don't know. I haven't been able think about anything else since I found out. I can't focus, I can't get it out of my mind." She said sadly, "I'm failing my classes and I don't know how to get back on-track. I'm afraid of failing out."

Her tears gave way to a sob. Cassie wrapped her arms around her and let her cry it out. She didn't have any words of wisdom to share, but she did what came naturally. She cared about Liz. There was no way she could leave her alone or not reach out to comfort her when she was in such obvious emotional turmoil.

* * *

"It won't be the same without Lizzie!" Zoey complained to her father later that evening as they loaded up the car.

"I know it won't, but we're gonna have fun anyway."

"I won't have any fun!"

"Bet you will," Jed challenged.

"Will not!" She folded her arms in front of her chest stubbornly refusing to give in.

"Will too."

"Will not! Will not! Will not!"

"Oh yeah?" Jed slammed the car door, grabbed his youngest daughter by the waist, threw her over his shoulder, and started spinning around the yard until Zoey laughed so hard she started to cough. He slowed down while she caught her breath. "Having fun yet?"

"NO!" Zoey answered, giggling.

She got just what she wanted with that refusal - another round of spins.

"Yes, you are!"

"No I'm not!"

"I'm going to keep doing this 'til you admit you're having fun!"

"I'm not having fun!"

Jed stayed true to his word. Or tried to anyway. He spun for another few minutes and managed to spin himself into a tunnel of dizziness. He lost his balance, falling to the ground onto a bed of raked leaves with Zoey on top of him, giggling even harder.

"Look what you did," he accused her, his breath ragged.

"YOU did it!"

"I didn't do a thing."

"DDDAAAADDD!" Ellie came bursting out the front door with a duffel bag over her shoulder. "Are we going or not? Mom isn't even here yet!"

"Yes, we're going. Your mom will be here soon, relax."

Proving Jed right, it was then that Abbey's car honked up the drive.

"Are you guys all ready to go?" she asked as she approached them after she parked.

"Hi Mommy!" Zoey ran into her arms.

"You're late," Ellie reminded her.

"It couldn't be helped. Besides, Lizzie's not here yet."

"She's not coming," Jed replied, still sitting in the hill of leaves.

"What?" Abbey extended a hand to help him up.

"She has an Economics exam on Monday. She said she had to study."

"She can study on the trip."

"She didn't want to."

"The four of us have never gone away without her before."

"I know."

"Did you adequately harass her about it?"

"I told her you would do that when you got home." Jed smiled.

"Whoever's gonna do it, could you hurry up so we can go! I hate sleeping in the car!"

Abbey turned her stare to her middle daughter. "You love sleeping in the car."

"That was when I was a kid. I'm not a kid anymore. And anyway, I'm bringing my telescope. I wanna get there in time to do some stargazing before bed."

"Okay, we'll leave just as soon as you get your coat."

"I don't need a coat."

"It's freezing in the mountains. You need a coat and so does Zoey. Go up and get one, both of you." When they left, Abbey turned her attention to Jed. "Do I want to know why you were sitting in a pile of leaves?"

"Zoey and I were horsing around." Jed dusted himself off. "I thought we had a deal. You're supposed to call when you're going to be late getting home from the hospital."

"I didn't expect to be late. Last-minute code."

"Your patient?"

"Yeah."

"And?"

"He's alive...for now. I'll have to check in with the hospital first thing in the morning."

"Don't tell me you're thinking of cutting the weekend short and coming back here."

"I'm just going to check in, okay? Alex said he'd cover for me."

"You two back on good terms?"

"Yeah. We're still working on the AMA resolution."

"Since when?"

"Since always."

"I thought after what happened..."

"We're adults, Jed." She started up the porch steps and into the house.

"What does that mean?" Jed followed her upstairs toward the master bedroom.

"It means we got past it. We're going to forget it ever happened."

"No, really," he scoffed, skeptical.

"What's wrong with that?"

"You expect him to work with you now, feeling the way he does?"

"He's not a teenager with raging hormones. He's a grown man." She made a beeline toward the dresser, where she pulled out a pair of dark blue jeans and a white knit sweater.

"So?"

"So, he can put his feelings aside."

"Yeah, just like I did when I met you and continued on toward the priesthood anyway."

Abbey turned to face him. Sarcasm always meant something was bothering him on a personal level. "Are you jealous?"

Jed's gut reaction was to deny it. "It's not about jealousy. It's about what's appropriate."

"Oh?" She retrieved her brown suede ankle boots from her shoe rack in the closet. "Then tell me what's appropriate."

That was a trick question if he'd ever heard one. Jed was a master wordsmith, and no one had the power to mince his words the way Abbey did. Caught in a no-win standoff, he bit the bullet and went on, "You not collaborating with a man who has the hots for you, for one."

"Why?"

"Why?"

"Yeah, tell me why."

"Because." Wasn't it obvious?

"Because why? Let me guess, you trust me, but you don't trust him. I never understood that line of reasoning." She ripped off her top and changed into the sweater. "It takes two to tango, so if you trust me, then you'll have to trust that nothing would ever happen, unless he were to force himself on me or drug me and take advantage of me. I'm pretty sure that's not where you were going with your suspicions, so let me ask again - why do you think I shouldn't collaborate with a man who, in your words, 'has the hots for me'?"

She hit a homerun with that one and in the process, she managed to quell his jealousy just a tad. "That was good, the way you sliced and diced my argument before I made it."

"One of my hidden talents. I know what you're going to say even before you open your mouth." She pulled up her jeans, buttoned them, then walked over and closed the space between her and Jed, an adoring glint in her eye as she gazed at him. "I love you."

"I know." Even he realized he was being silly about this. Of course nothing would happen. He owed her the same trust that she had always given him.

"I put up with your groupies in Washington. You can put up with Alex Foster."

He furrowed his brows. "You have a distorted view of what goes on in Washington."

"So you've said."

"You should spend more time down there with me."

"I'd love to, babe, but that would interfere with the time I plan to spend daydreaming about Alex."

He deserved that, but still. "It doesn't matter how cute you think you are, you're still a pain in the ass, you know that?"

"It's why you love me," she chuckled. He was close enough that she stole a quick kiss.

"ARE WE GOING?" a grumpy Ellie called out from down the hall.

Abbey backed away from Jed and slipped into her shoes, then snatched her brown suede jacket off a hanger. "Why did we decide to have these kids so many years apart? We get one past the difficult teen years and another one starts."

"Good news - after this one, you only have one more to go with Zoey!" Jed grimaced as he reached down to grab the bag Abbey had packed.

"What's wrong?"

"I think I twisted my back when I was playing with Zoey earlier."

"Oh no." Without another word, Abbey disappeared into the bathroom.

"Abbey, don't!" Jed warned her. "Don't get my back pills."

"You'll wish I had them later."

"We're going away for the weekend. I'm not going to take my back pills."

"Yeah, we'll see."

She marched out of the room, leaving Jed to shake his head and sigh before following.

* * *

"The clinic wants me there an hour early. Can you pick me up at 6:30?" Liz's voice was dull and somber as she talked to Doug on the phone.

"Yeah," Doug promised. "I'll bring you back to my place after. You can stay here as long as you want to heal."

"Thanks."

"I love you, Liz. This is the right thing to do."

Liz nodded, but didn't say anything. She was worn out from crying. Drained. Her voice was weak and scratchy. She felt hallow. Defeated. As if she was trapped in an impossible situation and the only way to get herself out of it was to do something she didn't really want to do. What choice did she have? She knew nothing of being a mother and Doug knew even less about being a father. A baby would complicate their lives beyond recognition. It would force her out of school, derail her future, her dreams, her aspirations. And most likely, she thought, it would threaten her relationship with her parents. It would destroy her dad's campaign and change the family dynamics forever. She couldn't continue this pregnancy, she convinced herself. It just wasn't possible.

There was no other way around it. She had to do what Doug suggested and she had to do it this weekend. She hung up on Doug then, grabbed her jacket, and took off for the Houghton Memorial Chapel, just as she had that morning. But this time, she wasn't going to seek advice from God. This time, she wanted to ask His forgiveness for making the decision she had made.

TBC


	22. Chapter 22

Series: Snapshots of the Past

Story: The Candidate's Daughter

Chapter 21

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Previously: After failing a couple of college exams thanks to the emotional tailspin from the pregnancy, Liz decided she had to do something to get her life back in order; Jed was disappointed when Liz canceled on the weekend family trip to the White Mountains, not knowing she did so in order to have an abortion; Jed hurt his back

Summary: While Jed and Abbey enjoy their time in the White Mountains, Liz and Doug are at a crossroads, individually and with each other; someone else discovers Liz's secret

Rating: NC-17

Author's Note: I tried to interject some lighter moments with the more serious ones for this chapter. I hope it works and that you enjoy it. Finally, thanks to all the readers out there who've kept this series going for so long. I wouldn't be writing without you guys. Happy New Year everyone!

* * *

One of Abbey's favorite things about life in New Hampshire was watching the green leaves of summer change into autumn's most beautiful shades. Nowhere was the explosion of color more powerful than it was in the White Mountains. She framed herself in the picturebox window of the log cabin she, Jed, Zoey, and Ellie were staying at, and watched the sun soar through the fog and over the trees, casting its rays like a spotlight on the rusty red and glimmering gold foliage.

They'd chosen a destination nearby for this trip because their time was limited. The girls had school and Jed had his campaign, so they made the best of a weekend getaway, in lieu of their usual family vacation, and rented the cabin in the mountains. It was a little plain, according to the girls, but with two bedrooms, a fireplace, a living room with a big-screen TV, and a large kitchen, it was roomy and comfortable. It had been dark when they arrived the night before, too dark to look out the back windows and notice the footbridge that extended from their deck over a shallow creek to a picnic table on the hillside. Abbey now thought about packing a nutritious breakfast and enjoying it outside.

She turned her glance to Jed. He was still asleep, lying on his side with his back to her. She walked over to the bed and sank down beside him to gently wake him by stroking his face and sweeping the loose strands of hair off his forehead. He stirred for a couple of seconds, then opened his big blue eyes. A smile creased his face when he saw her.

"I can't imagine a better way to wake up in the morning."

"You were sound asleep. You must have been exhausted."

"Guess I was." He pulled her toward him and gave her a kiss.

"How's your back?"

"Stiff."

"We can cancel the hike if you want." She always worried about his back. He had a herniated disc that had been causing him trouble on and off for years.

"No way. I've been looking forward to this for weeks and so have you and the girls."

"It's not worth it if you're going to throw your back out."

"I'm not going to throw my back out. You brought the pills Dr. Grayson gave me. I'll take one of them before bed tonight."

"Are you really going to take them this time?"

"Cross my heart," he promised. "Now come here."

Abbey felt a stronger tug then, a not-so-subtle invitation to join him back in bed.

"Jed..." she giggled softly.

"It's been nearly a week, Abbey..."

"The door doesn't have a lock."

"So what?"

"The girls are going to be up soon."

He kissed her again. "Ask me if I care."

"I have to call the hospital and check on that patient. And you have to call your brother to ask him to swing by and feed Ginger."

Leaving out food for the cat had been Ellie's responsibility, but in the middle of the night, she woke her parents to tell them that she'd forgotten.

"That can wait."

"This can wait." Abbey broke away reluctantly. "Tonight, okay? After we tuck the girls in."

"I'm going to hold you to that. This weekend, we don't have to worry about conflicting schedules or one of us working late at the office. So help me, I don't care what happens. This day is going to end with you in my arms, naked and hungry."

"I'm looking forward to it." She gave a flirty wink as she kissed the tip of her finger and pressed it to his lips before she rose to her feet and walked out to call the hospital.

* * *

Six months ago, Doug had taken Liz on a date to Boston for her birthday. With the help of his fraternity brothers, he had managed to score tickets to the out-of-town tryout for Phantom of the Opera, a show that Liz was desperate to see. They had dinner, saw Phantom at the Colonial Theater, then strolled the shops of Faneuil Hall, where he bought her a bracelet encrusted with red crystal hearts. She was wearing that bracelet now as Doug drove into Boston again - this time, passing the Colonial Theater on the way to the abortion clinic.

Liz stared out the window in a daze. When Doug pulled into the private parking garage, across the street from the clinic, and followed the ramp up to the seventh floor, she didn't move. He stopped the engine and turned to her from the driver's seat, reaching out to pull her hair back so he could see her face. Not even a flinch.

"Liz, talk to me."

"I'm afraid of needles. Did you know that?" She refused to look at him. "When I was little, my mom always held my hand when we went to the doctor and it still didn't keep me from screaming when I was pricked."

"I'll hold your hand the whole time we're there. I'll even ask if I can go into the operating room with you."

"They won't let you."

"Maybe not, but I'll ask anyway."

She let a few minutes pass in silence, then opened the door and hesitantly stepped out of the car.

Liz had seen her fair share of protesters. As the daughter of a United States Congressman, she was well-versed in the democratic principles that protected and celebrated the rights of citizens to publicly oppose government policy. Normally, protesters didn't faze her. But this wasn't a normal day, and what they were protesting wasn't some obscure amendment or complex piece of legislation. What they were protesting was her and her right to end her pregnancy.

She'd been warned about them, this crowd that formed outside the abortion clinic every Saturday morning. Her anonymity was crucial, not only for her own sake, but for her father's as well. Her privacy was guaranteed by the clinic once she reached the lobby, but to get there from the parking garage, she had to skirt around the protesters. So, she wore her hair up, pinned in a bun and covered with a baseball cap. She had sunglasses on and a pair of loose-fitting gray slacks with a casual long-sleeve pink shirt. She'd asked Doug to wear shades and a cap as well and together, they ran hand-in-hand across the street and into the clinic.

* * *

"Are you tired?" Abbey asked her youngest daughter, who seemed to be slowing her pace through the woods.

"No," Zoey replied.

"You can tell me if you are."

The Presidential Range was the most popular chain in the White Mountains. In the past, Jed and Abbey had hiked Mt. Franklin, Mt. Monroe, and all the way to the top of Mt. Washington. It was a strenuous hike and they worried that it was too strenuous for the girls, but Ellie had plotted a path on a trail that she was confident both she and Zoey could handle. The Jewell Trail was longer than the others, but that was because it wasn't nearly as steep. It was known as the easiest, most gentle trail up the mountain, so Abbey agreed to give it a try under the condition that they would turn around if she or Jed felt it was too much for Ellie and Zoey.

"I'm not tired. I wanna keep going." The view from the summit was supposed to be breathtaking and Zoey wasn't about to quit now that they'd come so far.

But there was yet another concern on Abbey's mind. Jed had been leaning to the side now and then, as if stretching his back. It was that same old injury flaring again, she thought. He'd warned her that he had hurt himself when he was horsing around with Zoey the night before and so she brought his pain pills in case it got worse. Watching him now, she believed that it had.

She sidled up to him and whispered, "Do you want to stop?"

"Stop what?"

"Hiking. We can turn around if your back is bothering you."

"I'm fine."

"Maybe for now, but you're going to be terribly sore tomorrow."

"I'll deal with it."

"You're as stubborn as Zoey, you know that?"

"Yes." He smiled at her.

Abbey shook her head in response. "You'll have to take your medication before bed."

"I already said I wouldn't, didn't I?" Jed saw a clearing up ahead and motioned to the girls. "Ellie, get out your camera. I have a feeling you're going to get fantastic pictures up here."

* * *

"The exam itself will take about a half hour and then Dr. Kelley will meet with you for counseling..."

"Counseling?" Liz was confused by the itinerary the receptionist rattled off. "When will they start?" she whispered, "The procedure? Where is that on the schedule?"

"That's not until Tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? I made the appointment for today."

"Didn't they tell you? Today is for the examination and counseling. Both are mandatory and must happen at least 24 hours prior to having an abortion. It's state law."

"No one told me that."

"I'm sorry..."

"So say she has it tomorrow, how long is healing time?" Doug asked the woman. "Will she be able to go back to school on Monday or Tuesday?"

"That's a question for the doctor. If you have a seat, we'll get you in to see him as soon as possible."

Doug led a jittery Liz toward the waiting area. She couldn't peel her eyes off the walls. They were tan with taupe trim, just like the walls in the waiting room at her mother's medical office. On the table, there were magazines, no different from the magazines at any other clinic. What was she expecting, she asked herself. Posters of a scalpel cutting flesh? A fetus being pulled out of a uterus? She didn't know what she was expecting, but it sure wasn't a place as unremarkable as this.

Nerves made her thumb through the pile of magazines and stuffed inside one, she found a pamphlet - 'The Adoption Option,' it read. Liz handed it to Doug, her mind wandering once again as she remembered her parents' experience with adoption. They'd considered it last year, after the miscarriage. They even had a home study done. But in the end, they changed their minds. 'Why?' she wondered. Had she been told why and simply forgot? Or did her parents never tell her what led to the change of heart? Maybe it was their busy schedules? Maybe they decided three kids were enough? Or maybe it was the heartbreak of the miscarriage still haunting them so many months later?

It was like an avalanche, the way that last thought triggered her anxiety. Suddenly, the miscarriage was all she could think about. Her mother had lost a baby. Only eight weeks along, Abbey had miscarried. No one ever called it a fetus. Not her mother, not her father, not even her. It was a baby to all of them. Nineteen months later, how would her parents feel if they knew that she was in the waiting room of an abortion clinic? How would they react if they found out that she was planning to intentionally end her own pregnancy? Every instinct demanded that she storm out of there, but what kept her glued to her seat was an even worse thought - her parents might hate her for having an abortion, but would they hate her any less for being pregnant?

Her heart warred with her brain and in the end, she rose to her feet and marched out.

A perplexed Doug followed. He waited until they passed the insignificant mob of protesters and dashed across the street to call out to her. "Liz, where are you going?"

"I don't think I can do it."

"What do you mean you don't think you can do it? We agreed that it was the only option."

"We were wrong!"

"No, Liz, we weren't. We planned it out, we talked about it. I borrowed the money from Jimmy..."

"I'm not doing it, Doug."

"Because you're afraid?"

"Because it's wrong," she barked, as she slid into front passenger's seat of his car.

He slid into the driver's seat. "What's wrong?"

"Everything about it. None of it feels right."

"What are you talking about?"

"How can I let them open me up and take something out of me that we created? I'd never forgive myself."

"Liz, the way you're talking...I thought you were pro-choice."

"I AM pro-choice, and I'm making a choice. Abortion might be right for some women. It isn't right for me...at least not now. Not like this."

"Listen to what you're saying. Do you want to have this baby? Do you want to raise it?"

"I don't know what I want! All I know is that I came here today wanting to get it over with as quickly as possible and thank God that's not how it works. Thank God I have time to think about it."

"I thought you already did your thinking. I thought this is what you wanted."

"No, Doug, this is what YOU decided was the right thing to do."

"I wasn't trying to pressure you."

"Really? It's no secret that you don't want kids."

"Hold on a second! I don't want kids? You're the one who told me you didn't want kids, at the Fourth of July party at your parents'. Remember that? You said you wanted to focus on your career and your marriage. Now suddenly you want to consider having this child. You're the one who's changing the plan on me."

Liz did remember. "We were just talking that day. I didn't know you carved it in stone."

"I didn't," he said in a calmer voice. "Look, I'm not opposed to having children with you - in the future. I always thought that if we decided to have a family, it would be later, when we're married, when I can support you and the kid."

That tidbit got her attention. "You planned for us to get married?"

"Someday." Doug was in love with her. He couldn't imagine them not ending up together. "But right now, I don't have my life together and neither do you. Neither one of us has a job. We're both in college, we don't have our own money. And you said it yourself, what do we know about taking care of a baby?"

"Nothing."

"Exactly."

"We could figure it out."

"Famous last words."

"Life doesn't always work out the way we plan, Doug. My dad used to say that things happen for a reason. Maybe this is happening for some reason that isn't obvious to us yet."

"Just a little while ago, you thought that this was our punishment for falling in love and having sex."

"I never used the word punishment."

"Yeah, but you thought it, didn't you?"

She ignored that question. Acknowledging it would mean she'd have to tell him that he's right, that she'd spent yet another sleepless night ruminating and had come to the conclusion that this was the consequence of their actions. She always knew there was the chance, no matter how careful they were, that she would end up pregnant. They did it anyway, and now that her worst fear had come true, she had no choice but to deal with it.

"It doesn't matter what I thought. All I know now is that I can't go through with this today. Can you take me back to Manchester?"

He paused for a moment, and when it was clear she wasn't going to change her mind, he started the car. "We'll go to my place."

"The farm," she told him as she dabbed at her eyes with a tissue. "My parents and sisters are away. I want to stay at the farm tonight."

Doug put the car in reverse and exited the parking lot. He drove up the interstate ramp and out of the city in silence, a piercing silence that accompanied them all the way back to New Hampshire.

* * *

"You guys are a bunch of wusses!" Jed grumbled as he, Abbey, and their girls came moping back into their cabin, wet and cold and carrying a bag of take-out. "A little rain and everyone runs, scurrying back to their cubbyhole."

"FREEZING rain," Ellie reminded him. "We were hit with sleet out there, and it wouldn't let up! It was like being attacked by falling icicles!"

"I warned you the weather could change at any time on Mount Washington. Its unpredictability is what it's famous for."

"And I warned you that if it got bad, we'd be leaving," Abbey reminded him.

"Explain your definition of bad," Jed challenged.

"Oh, brother."

Temperatures had dipped below 30 degrees on the mountain. Rain and sleet pelted them and wind gusts swept through, nearly knocking Zoey down. When Jed lost his footing and slipped on the icy glaze, Abbey pulled the plug on their adventure. 'Home of the world's worst weather,' was Mount Washington's claim to fame. Trail guides frequently cautioned against continuing a climb if the weather turned because conditions at higher elevations would be even more dangerous, so after a brief retreat at one of the huts, the foursome had turned around and started back toward their car, a move that provoked Jed's grumpiness.

"I'm just saying, we didn't have to call off the hike. When I was an Eagle Scout, I hiked in weather 20 times worse."

"Yes, Jed, we know. We know that you don't mind frigid temperatures, sleet, and freezing rain. You don't mind climbing an ice-glazed trail, even if you do slip and throw out your already throbbing back..."

"My back feels great," he lied.

Abbey went on, "We know that you're the only hardy New Englander among us."

"As long as we're in agreement on that point." He grinned at her.

"Meanwhile, the girls have school on Monday and I don't want them sick or injured."

"They weren't going to be injured. And as for sick, the temperature doesn't cause colds; viruses do."

"The cold temperatures weaken the immune system, making a person more susceptible to infection. Don't play the medicine card with me."

"Just keeping you on your toes."

Abbey turned her attention to the girls. "I want you both out of those wet clothes. Ellie, help your sister."

"Okay." The 11-year-old led the way to bedroom at the end of the hall, where she and Zoey had bunked.

Before she followed, Zoey looked up at Jed. "I wanted to stay, Daddy. I'm not a wuss."

"No, you're not, munchkin." He high-fived her.

"So there, Ellie, you're the only wuss!"

"Hey, be nice," Jed told her as Zoey trotted off after Ellie into the girls' room. When she vanished behind the door, he threw his gaze to Abbey.

"Well?" she asked him.

"Well what?"

"Aren't you going to change? It's freezing and your clothes are wet."

"I'm the hardiest New Englander in the room, remember?" he boasted, stubborn as always.

"Hardy doesn't mean stupid. Change into something warm."

"You got me off the mountain, Abigail, but I'll decide when I want to change."

"Fine, suit yourself." Her voice changed then. In a less demanding tone, she said, "I, on the other hand, am shivering, and my jeans are so wet, they're clinging to body parts I'd rather they not cling to. I think I'll go peel myself out of them."

She sashayed away from him and he sensed he was being manipulated. The image of Abbey stripping out of those tight and clingy jeans got his blood circulating in all the right places. She'd peel them off, he imagined, just like she said, and her silky bare thighs would be damp and cold, needing his touch to warm them. This was just what she wanted. This was how she would lure him into the bedroom and out of his wet clothes, and afterwards, into a pair of warm, dry sweats for the night. He was definitely being manipulated.

But he didn't care.

He unbuckled his belt before he even reached the hallway.

* * *

Liz couldn't wait to get home. She missed the farm, missed her room, her bed, all the reminders of her childhood. It was a happy childhood, she remembered. There were the occasional problems all families faced - sibling rivalry between her and her sisters, arguments between her parents, fights between her and her mom - but overall, she had been blessed with a pretty good life. She was nostalgic for it now. She went away to college and things suddenly became so complicated. She wanted more than anything to close her eyes and recapture the past. She wanted to be a little girl again. She wanted to run home and feel safe within the confines of her house, as if it would somehow shelter her from her mistakes in the outside world.

As soon as Doug stopped the car on the gravel road that led into the Bartlet property, Liz jumped out. He followed her up the steps and into the front door and she allowed it. She even let him follow her to her bedroom upstairs. Ginger curled up beside her leg and purred softly. Doug watched as Liz picked her up to pet her. It was obvious that Ginger was hungry. Surprised that her sisters forgot to leave out some cat food, Liz took her to the kitchen to feed her. Doug followed her there too and when they returned a few minutes later, he pulled out the desk chair from the corner and took a seat while Liz collapsed on her bed.

"Why are you mad at me?" he asked.

"I'm mad at us."

"For having sex? Liz, that's crazy!"

"It's not the sex; It's the situation that it caused. People have sex for years TRYING to get pregnant and can't. We do it for a couple of months WITH protection and now we're going to have a baby? It's not fair."

"No, it's not."

"Why this is happening to us?"

"I know you think your dad is right, but he's not. Sometimes, there's no reason for what happens. Things just happen. What matters is how we deal with it."

"Don't start with that again."

"I won't push you to have an abortion, but I deserve a say in what you end up doing. I am the father, after all."

"You made your position clear, Doug. You don't want this baby."

"It's not about what I want. I don't think it's smart for us to have a baby, not with where we are in life. If you disagree, then fine, let's talk about it. I'm open to hearing what you have to say but in order to do that, you have to say something. You can't just ignore me like my opinion doesn't matter."

"That's not what I'm doing."

"That's what it feels like."

Doug had been as upset as she was about the pregnancy, but he hadn't been angry with her until now. This affected both of their lives, but she was shutting him out. He didn't force her into bed. He didn't pressure her to do anything that she didn't want to do, so why wouldn't she let him help her now, he wondered. Why had she closed herself off?

Liz was too distraught to consider what she was saying or how she was hurting him. A combination of stress, worry, confusion, and pregnancy hormones culminated inside her and what emerged was a vulnerable young woman taking out her frustration on the boyfriend she truly loved because she was angry at herself and, to a lesser extent, at him for succumbing to their hormones.

They both sat there, their eyes locked in silence.

* * *

Jed and Abbey were no strangers to romance. Satisfying their physical needs was ideally about more than a brief tumble between the sheets. There was a certain rhythm to it, a 'bedroom dance' of sorts that began with a stately minuet and ended with a tempestuous tango. But when Jed followed Abbey into their cabin's master bedroom that cold and drizzly weekend in the White Mountains, he knew there'd be no time for such an idyllic rendezvous. Ellie and Zoey were in the next room and the take-out they'd picked up for dinner was waiting on the table. So, instead of sweeping Abbey off her feet the way he wanted, he had geared himself up for one of those quick interludes they had to settle for when their professional and personal commitments demanded it.

"Jed, we don't have time," she said as he nuzzled her neck from behind when he found her wiggling out of her jeans.

"It won't take more than a couple of minutes."

"How romantic."

"If you want romance, we'll have to wait til the girls are in bed. If you want down and dirty, I'm your guy now." He turned her around and pulled her sweater off, and then...

"Mommy, I'm hungry!"

"Told you," Abbey smirked.

"She'll survive for a few more minutes," Jed insisted.

"Mommy!"

"I'll be right out, Zoey!"

"What are you doing?" When Zoey's footsteps neared the door, it deflated Jed's passion almost immediately. "Can I come in?"

Jed backed away, resigned to postponing their midday romp.

* * *

Jack Bartlet knew his niece, Ellie, was the forgetful one in the family, so he wasn't the least bit surprised when Jed called him that morning and explained that Ellie had forgotten to leave out cat food for Ginger. What did surprise Jack was seeing Doug's car parked in front of the farmhouse when he pulled up to take care of it. Liz had canceled on her family and Jack now wondered if she had planned a rendezvous with her boyfriend while her parents were away. That wasn't like Liz, he told himself as he got out of the car and approached the front door. He opened it and almost immediately, he heard voices coming from upstairs.

He started toward them.

"I'll stand by you, Liz, but you have to tell me what I'm standing for," Doug said.

"You act like I have all the answers. I don't. The only thing I'm sure about is that I need time to decide what to do."

That was Jack's cue to leave. This wasn't the time to interrupt what sounded like a lovers' quarrel.

"Are all the options still on the table?" Doug persisted.

"You mean abortion? That's what you're really asking about, isn't it?"

Jack nearly fell over. An abortion? Liz was pregnant? He grabbed the banister before he lost his balance and tumbled down the stairs.

"I want to know where you're at."

"I'm not having an abortion, Doug. I can't do it."

"Because you don't want to or because you're afraid of being damned to Hell if you do?"

Jack's conscience nipped at him. This was a private conversation between Liz and Doug and he had no right to any part of it. He stepped down onto the landing on the main floor, but the voices got louder.

"Does it matter why?"

"To me it does. If you want to have this baby for your own reasons, then we should talk about it. But if you think you have no choice but to have this baby because your religion dictates that abortion is wrong, then I've got news for you - according to the Catholic Church, premarital sex is wrong, birth control is wrong, everything we're doing is wrong!"

"Thanks for reminding me."

"You can't abide by half the rules and not the others is my point."

"From now on, I plan to abide by all the rules! Better?"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"What do you think it means?" She was re-evaluating the entire relationship. "You should go."

"Go where?"

"Home."

"You don't want me to go. Liz, you're not thinking clearly. I just want to help..."

"I need space, Doug! I feel like I'm suffocating with you hovering over me, questioning me, pushing me."

"I'm not pushing you." He kneeled on the ground in front of the bed where she was sitting. "Okay look, if you don't want to have an abortion, we won't have an abortion. We can talk about other options. Maybe adoption? We can even talk about having the baby if that's what you really want. The main thing is that we need to talk about it."

"Listen to what you're saying. You're all over the place. Talking isn't going to do any good. You don't know what you want any more than I do and that's the problem. I don't want to influence you and I don't want you influencing me. We need a break. We need time to think things through on our own and decide what's best for each of us."

"A break? I don't want a break from you."

"I want one from you. I NEED one."

What more was there to say? He knew she was an emotional wreck right now, but he was hurt that she wouldn't let him in.

"Fine," he growled as he stomped out of her room.

Doug jogged down the stairs and flew out the front door, nearly knocking Jack down on his way to his car. Jack had left the house, but he lingered on the porch, too concerned about his niece to leave. The two men glared at each other and as Doug tried to veer around Jack, the older man blocked his path.

"Get out of my way!" Doug shoved him.

"You're just going to take off?" Jack asked.

"She asked me to go."

"She's upset! You can't leave her!"

"It's none of your damn business!"

"She's my family! Of course it's my business!" Jack angrily leapt in front of him again, but backed off when he heard his name called from behind.

"Uncle Jack?" Liz trembled in the doorframe.

She'd come downstairs to stop Doug and interrupted the confrontation just in time. One look at her uncle convinced her he knew. He'd overheard and knew her secret. Embarrassed, she lowered her head and slammed the door shut. Doug walked away. He ran to his car and jumped inside while Jack let himself into the house.

* * *

Jed wasn't the only one feeling the pains of sexual frustration. It had been a week since they last made love and Abbey was pretty feisty as well. She convinced herself that it would be an early evening. Dinner, then some board games with the girls, and then, with any luck, they'd be too tired and worn out to put up a fight at bedtime, allowing her and Jed a chance to retreat to their own room for the rest of the night. In the meantime, they'd have to suppress their lust between casual glances at each other over steamy bowls of lamb and vegetable stew that Abbey was reheating in the kitchen.

"Does this mean we're in for the night?" Ellie asked, helping her mother transfer the take-out from Styrofoam bowls to real glass bowls they'd found in the cupboard.

"I'm afraid so. I doubt the rain's going to let up."

"That's okay. Punky Brewster's on and then it's that new show ALF on NBC."

A bemused Jed questioned on his way into the kitchen, "ALF? The fuzzy little puppet they've been promoting like crazy? Why do you want to watch that?"

"He's not a puppet, Dad. He's an alien."

"Do aliens really exist, Daddy?" That came from Zoey, who was sitting at the table, her eyes twinkling with childhood innocence.

"On NBC, they apparently do."

"But are they real, like in real life?"

"What do you think?" Jed was known for answering questions with questions. It was his way of challenging the girls to form their own opinions.

"I dunno. Cindy says they're real. She said saw a UFO one night, but Shelley said she made it up because her father said they're not real and neither are aliens. So are they?"

"Of course they're real, Zoey. The proof will be on NBC in less than an hour," Ellie interjected. The little scientist in her thought it was fun to believe in aliens. She looked up at her mother. "Can we watch?"

"Are you sure the television even works up here? There's no cable," Abbey reminded her.

"It's a little fuzzy, but it works. I checked."

Jed still didn't get it. "I thought we could spend the evening playing cards or talking."

"Talking?" Ellie crinkled her forehead at that. She used to love sitting around a crackling fire and talking to her parents, but she was going through a phase now where that was the last thing she wanted to do.

"Yes, talking. You know, it's the thing you'd do with your friends on the phone morning to night if we weren't around to remind you to spend some time with your family."

Zoey jumped in then. "Can we play Chutes and Ladders? And Monopoly?"

"We can play whatever you want." Jed filled a glass at the sink.

"Trouble too?"

"I thought you were too old for Trouble," he teased as he popped a pill and chugged the water.

"Too old for Trouble?" There was no such thing.

Abbey interrupted that exchange. "Jed, what did you just put in your mouth?"

"What am I, a toddler? I'm not going to choke."

"Jed?"

"My back medication."

"You weren't supposed to take that until right before bed."

"I took it early," he shrugged. "Relax, Dr. Grayson said this one won't make me loopy. It's not as strong as the others."

"Yeah, but..."

"What's the problem?"

Abbey looked at Zoey and Ellie, who were staring back at her. "Girls, how would you like to go all out and turn this into TV night? You can eat dinner in front of the television."

"REALLY?" That was a treat Ellie wasn't used to.

"Abbey!" Jed didn't expect it either.

"They want to watch their shows, Jed."

"I thought we were going to have dinner together, at the table."

"It'll be fine, trust me."

Abbey hustled, frantically pulling all the dishes together and asking Ellie to help her move them to the coffee table in the living room. She poured two glasses of milk, ushered the girls toward the television, upped the volume, and helped them settle in before she rushed back to the kitchen and grabbed Jed's arm to lead him to the bedroom. She closed the door and then turned to face him.

"What the hell's going on? Why did you just undermine me in front of them?"

"Take your clothes off!"

"What are we doing?"

"We're having sex! Take your clothes off!"

Jed didn't have a problem with that, though he was a little confused. "Okay, but will you slow down long enough to tell me why?"

"You took your pill so we have to have sex now!" He was moving too slow for Abbey's taste. She started to unbutton his jeans. "For heaven's sake, hurry up!"

"Not that I don't like this domineering side of you, but connect the dots for me."

"The drug you just took..." She pushed him onto the bed and climbed on top, wearing only her bra and underwear now. "In about 20 minutes, it's going to relax you."

"That's good."

"And kill your sex drive." She kissed him as she slid her panties down over her hips.

"Why didn't you say so?" He ripped her bra off, then grabbed her at the hips and rolled them over so that he was on top.

"Jed, be careful! Your back!"

"It's worth the pain!" He buried his face in her cleavage, teasing her breasts.

Abbey felt his swollen appendage against her belly. She arched her back, aching for penetration. A husky moan escaped her lips when Jed's fingers worked their way between her legs. She was definitely ready. He poised himself at her entrance. Her legs wrapped around his waist, she encouraged him as he slammed into her so fiercely that she let out a scream. He kissed her, a deep, long, passionate kiss while their tangled bodies moved in unison, meeting each other thrust for thrust until Abbey's legs spasmed and her muscles constricted. She hit a climax like never before.

Jed slowed the thrusts just long enough for her to catch her breath, but when she crossed her ankles around his back again, he knew that she was ready for more. He kept going, steady thrusts now, pulling in and out methodically, watching her writhe and wiggle beneath him and occasionally, when he hit his mark particularly well, she'd cry out his name, which only spurred him on more.

"I don't know what you were talking about," he grunted, plowing into her without missing a beat. "My sex drive is stronger than it's ever been. And I've never found you sexier."

Opiates were notorious for dulling a man's libido over time, but for some men new to the drugs, there was a magical window of opportunity where a breathless euphoria mingled with intense sexual urges that kept his erection going longer and stronger than ever. Abbey thanked her lucky stars that Jed turned out to be one of those men.

Her first orgasm was insanely powerful.

Her second orgasm paralyzed her limbs.

Fearful that she'd be sore before they finished, Jed pulled out after the second round to give her a few minutes to recover. He used his mouth to pleasure her when they started for the third time. His head bobbed between her legs, his hands spreading her folds while his tongue went to work. Abbey clenched the sheets with white-knuckled fists. Her head jerked from side to side, her hips squirmed and her thighs quivered against his broad shoulders, which kept them far apart. She went over the edge again and her explosive climax was Jed's undoing.

Abbey gripped the headboard up above, and just as he penetrated her one final time, he surrendered to a mind-numbing orgasm that made him feel like he was ejaculating from every pore in his body. His climax collided with her aftershocks and her muscles milked him dry. He moaned. He grunted. He practically sobbed in ecstasy. He let out a scream of his own that would have rang throughout the cabin had it not been for her mouth muffling his with a kiss. Their bodies sweaty and tangled, they remained lip-locked until he regained control of his trembling limbs and stopped vibrating against her.

Dr. Grayson would be added to their Christmas list this year.

* * *

Jack stood in the doorway of Elizabeth's second-floor bedroom at the Bartlet farmhouse. It was a nice room, he thought. Light plum-colored walls decorated with framed whimsical artwork and a few abandoned tacks from posters he assumed she'd taken down when she moved out. Trophies, ribbons, and awards topped trophy shelves. Her walnut dresser and matching bookcase flanked the room, the bookcase looking bare because of all the books she'd taken with her to college. She had a queen-sized bed covered with a gold and plum comforter and ruffled throw pillows and just above that bed, her name was stenciled with purple glitter and mounted in a shiny black frame on the wall.

It was a room that reflected her personality - playful, fun, glitzy, and young - a room fit for a teenager, and that's exactly what Lizzie was. A teenager. Jack stalled on that thought. Liz was 18, an adult by legal standards, but she was still his niece, the little girl he'd known all her life. How could that little girl have grown up so fast? How could she be pregnant? And how could she have let it happen now, when she was just starting life and paving her way in the world?

He lingered at the door until he worked up the courage to ask her about it. She sat at her window seat with her side to Jack, her legs bent at the knees and curled up under her chin, and her stare directed at the rolling hills and pasture outside. She was embarrassed. Ashamed, he acknowledged. The last thing he wanted was to be pushed away, so he approached her gingerly.

"I wasn't trying to eavesdrop," he said. "Your dad asked me to set out some cat food because Ellie forgot."

Several minutes passed without a response and just when he thought there wouldn't be one, she answered.

"How much did you hear?"

"Enough to know what's going on." He tried to sound as non-judgmental as possible. "How far...how far along are you?"

"Seven weeks."

"So you've been to a doctor?"

"Yes." She'd taken the test herself, but then she went to a walk-in clinic several miles from campus to confirm.

"I don't need to ask about prenatal care, do I?" A girl considering abortion wouldn't be taking vitamins.

"No."

"And your parents? They don't suspect a thing?"

"No," she replied meekly.

Maybe he shouldn't have been so shocked. Liz was a consenting adult in a serious relationship with a man a few years older. What she did was her own business. Still, it was easy to see that this wasn't planned. Liz had so many goals, so many aspirations in life. Motherhood wasn't one of them, especially at this age. A baby would change everything and it was obvious that she was struggling with that fact.

Jack sat on the floor beside the window, close enough that Liz looked at him for the first time since she caught him out on the deck. "Tell me how I can help. Do you want me to stay with you when you tell them?"

"I can't tell them," Liz insisted.

"Liz, you have to. No matter what you decide to do about this, you can't keep it all bottled up inside."

"You don't understand."

"Understand what? You have two parents who love you, parents who have the means to support you, both emotionally and financially..."

"Why would they support me? You think if I change my mind and have an abortion, my father's going to hold my hand through it?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact."

She shook her head. "They'll hate me."

"Nothing would make them hate you."

"My mother had a miscarriage less than two years ago. Did they tell you?" Jack nodded. "She wanted another baby and she had one growing in her womb. She knew it was there even before the pregnancy test. And then she lost it."

"That has nothing to do with you."

"She's a good mom, you know? I don't always tell her, but she is."

"I know she is."

"She would have been great with another baby, but she didn't get to have it. And now, I'm the one who's pregnant...at 18, with no job, no education, no money except my college trust fund. She'll think I'm too irresponsible to have a child. She'll say I'm too selfish to care for an infant, and maybe she's right. Maybe I am."

"You're jumping ahead of yourself. You don't even know if you're going to have this baby yet..."

"It won't matter. She'll resent me for being in this position. And my dad, he'll be so disappointed. Not only did I get myself pregnant, but the father is someone he totally hates. He's been trying to get me to break up with Doug for months and now he has to face the fact that I'm carrying his child?"

"He'll get over it."

"Will the voters? Having a teenage daughter pregnant out of wedlock isn't exactly an endorsement when you're running for congress in such a Catholic district. He'd be better off disowning me."

"All right, stop with the dramatics. You're not a 15-year-old truant who got pregnant behind the football field during the Homecoming game. You're a legal adult and it's no one's business what you do in your personal life."

"When have the voters been concerned with what is or isn't their business?"

Good point, Jack acknowledged to himself. "Don't concern yourself with the voters. Right now, you should be thinking about your family and the bottom line there is that your mother is not going to resent you and your father is not going to turn his back on you. After all the times they've been there for you, after everything they've done for you, after everything they've given you, how can you doubt their love?"

"I've never screwed up like this before. I think this might push them to their limit."

"There is no limit. Lizzie, if you think there's anything in the world that you could do to make your father disown you, that just proves you haven't been paying attention the past 18 years." He reached out a hand to hers. "I know you're scared. You have every right to be. But you're talking yourself out of telling your parents, not because you think they'll turn their backs on you or throw you out of the house, but because you're afraid of what they'll think of you. Right?"

It was then that Liz allowed another stream of tears. "I don't want them to be disappointed in me."

Jack swung his arm around her and Liz changed her position. Now sitting with her back to the window, she made room for him beside her. He held her in his arms, offering a fatherly shoulder to cry on. The embarrassment faded slightly and Liz discovered an ally in her uncle. He wouldn't abandon her, she realized. He'd be a friend, and right now, more than ever, she needed a friend to make the task of telling her parents a little bit easier.

TBC


	23. Chapter 23

Series: Snapshots of the Past

Story: The Candidate's Daughter

Chapter 23

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Previously: With Ellie and Zoey distracted, Jed and Abbey had time for some "barbecuing" in the White Mountains; Liz walked out of an abortion clinic and later, told Doug she needed a break from their relationship; when Jack discovered Liz's secret, he promised he'd help her tell her parents; after he spent a year opposing it, Jed reluctantly cast a vote for his rival's "too liberal" sex ed bill in congress (Chapter 16)

Summary: Abbey is confronted about Jed's sex ed vote; Liz hears some unwelcomed news from her college advisor and later, returns home to Manchester

* * *

October 1986

In all the years she'd been in school, Elizabeth had never been sent to the principal's office. The only thing she ever got in trouble for was talking too much in class, but even that was often dismissed by her elementary and junior high school teachers, who boasted about her grades, her manners, and her eagerness to help her classmates who didn't quite understand the material as well as she did. In high school, she had been tardy to a few classes - which earned her detention once or twice - and there was that time that she was called out by a teacher for passing notes during Geometry. But overall, she was good student, never reprimanded for anything serious and never summoned for private meetings.

She prided herself on her academic work ethic. Jed and Abbey were satisfied as long as she gave her all to her school work, but Liz was harder on herself. She beat herself up for any grade she felt could have been improved and that motivation drove her to graduate high school as valedictorian of her class. Everyone at Manchester High knew who she was and everyone predicted a glowing future - the Class of 1986's shiny star. Voted The Girl Most Likely to Succeed in senior superlatives, she was going to pave her dreams at Wellesley, one of the most prestigious colleges in the country.

It was a fantasy, Liz thought now. All those dreams, the expectations of her teachers, her classmates, her family, and even herself, were all nothing but a waste. It wasn't going to happen. A few months earlier, she'd been on top of the world and now, her world was crashing down around her. She sat in the gloomy office of her Wellesley academic advisor as he laid out the sobering facts for her.

"You're in jeopardy of failing at least two classes this semester, possibly three," he said. Dr. Gordon was his name and he taught several political science courses as a professor in the International Relations program.

"What would happen?" Liz asked.

"You'd be placed on academic probation."

"But it's only the first semester."

"Which is why you're here. We want to help you in whatever way we can, but we need to start now to salvage your GPA. If it's an adjustment issue, if you're homesick..."

Her stomach sank. His voice grew deeper and deeper in Liz's mind until his words all ran together, making it impossible to understand. It reminded her of the classroom scenes in the Charlie Brown cartoons she grew up watching. Of course she wanted to do better in school. Of course she needed help. She wanted it. But it was hard to concentrate on English Lit when all she could think about was the baby growing inside her and how it would change her life forever. She wondered then if she should tell Dr. Gordon. Maybe he'd understand her struggles if he knew what she was dealing with. Maybe he'd help her apply for a leave of absence to sort it all out. She opened her mouth to tell the truth, but like so many times in the past several weeks, shame crept up inside her and just as quickly, she closed it again.

* * *

As a surrogate for Bartlet for Congress, Abbey had experience speaking on Jed's behalf. During his first run for the U.S. House, she made a handful of appearances for him, and after she accepted his plans for re-election, she pledged to pitch in once again. This time, it had been more difficult juggling her duties at the hospital with appearances on the campaign trail, but when he asked her to address the Manchester chapter of the Coalition of Women Voters, she rearranged her schedule to make it possible.

The CWV had endorsed Jed in his first election and his staff had no doubt that they'd endorse him again. The breakfast that Abbey agreed to attend was more a formality than anything else. Still, Jed felt she was better suited to this type of appearance. Abbey connected with women. Her favorables among female voters in the district were through the roof, at least with working mothers and career women. She received the occasional criticism from PTA moms who saw her at meetings only once in a while and carpool or bus-stop moms who noticed that she was already at work by the time her kids left the house for school. She shrugged them off. They didn't live her life, they didn't raise her girls, they didn't know how much love and attention she gave them. If they wanted to sit in their homes and throw stones at her for having her own career, demanding as it was, she wouldn't indulge them by throwing those stones back.

That October morning, she dined with the women of the CWV wearing a black tailored knit suit admired by most of the attendees. She took the microphone they offered, stood beside the table she shared with seven other women, and gave a short speech, thanking them for hosting the breakfast. She didn't expect to field questions - it wasn't a press conference, after all - but she was put on the spot and in typical Abbey fashion, she refused to shy away from it. Like her husband, Abbey believed it was the right of the constituents to grill their representatives on issues that affect their daily lives, and since Jed wasn't there to take the heat, it was her job to do it for him.

"Congressman Bartlet voted for a bill this past summer that would require every school district to teach sexual education to students over the age of 13. Is that correct?" It was Nora Gilbert who started the whole thing. She was a woman about Abbey's age with twin teenaged boys. Conservative, religious, old-fashioned, high-society type, deeply embedded in the community through her church and charity organizations. And, as president of the high school PTA, she strongly opposed sex education for teenagers.

"That's true, he did," Abbey replied, a streak of rebellion in her voice. In their occasional run-ins at the PTA, she'd learned that Nora Gilbert never asked a benign question.

"He hasn't revealed that to the voters. Does he plan to?"

"His voting record is no secret. It's public information."

"No one's going to look it up. Why not make it easier for people? They should know where he stands. Why not announce his vote as part of the campaign?"

'Because he'll lose votes' is what Nora wanted Abbey to say. But before she knew it, Jed's campaign aide, Brooke, was at Abbey's side. This wasn't supposed to be a formal Q&A session. It was supposed to be a chance for Abbey to mingle, to get to know these women in hopes that they'd endorse Jed's candidacy for congress. She tried to end it quietly by whispering in Abbey's ear, but Abbey refused to back down. Cowering to Nora and her band of Bartlet critics would be worse for the campaign, she said. Besides, Nora brought up a valid point and Abbey wanted to set the record straight.

"The bill isn't going to pass," she answered in response to the question. "Jed voted for it, but it was a symbolic vote. He knew that even if it passed the House, it wouldn't pass the senate."

"Then why bother?" Nora pressed.

"Because it's time someone talked about sex education that includes information about AIDS. This bill wasn't perfect, but it was a start. Jed's working on a new bill, similar to Congressman Bennett's, with some changes that might appeal to the other side of the aisle."

She attempted to sit back down, but another woman spoke up.

"What kinds of changes?" That was Susan Allen, a friendly face in the crowd who wanted to hear more about Jed's plans on a bill that she'd support with full conviction.

"Abstinence education will be included, for one." Abbey cringed internally as she realized that's exactly what Nora wanted to hear. But it was the truth, so she went on. "My husband believes in educating kids about safe sex; he also believes there's something to be said for abstinence in high school, and he prefers teens to know all their options and the consequences of a sexual relationship at their age before picking up a condom."

"Do you share that philosophy? And if so, why isn't that how you run the sex ed class you teach at the hospital?" It was Patrice Willis challenging her now. Patrice, like Nora, belonged to that clique of conservative women who felt that Jed was too liberal to represent their views.

"Folks, we're not going to take anymore questions..." Brooke started.

"No, I'd like to answer," Abbey insisted.

"Mrs. Bartlet..."

"I'd like to answer, Brooke."

Against her better judgment, Brooke quietly stepped back. Abbey knew she had annoyed her, but she didn't care. Campaign or not, this exchange was too important to her to back down. She hadn't planned to hop up on her proverbial soap box, and she wouldn't have if Patrice hadn't set it up this way. Her eyes roved the audience. Most were mothers she already knew. She set down the mic, pulled out her chair, and took a seat.

"If we're going to talk about this, let's do it mother to mother, not candidate to voter," she said. "We're mothers. We have children we worry about. We want what's best for them, even if we disagree on what that is. You want to know my philosophy? As a physician, I accept that we don't live in the same world we lived in 10 years ago, when our biggest fear about teenage sex was pregnancy and treatable STDs. The stakes are higher now."

"Sex education is the job of a parent," Nora argued. She hadn't curbed her confrontational tone and Abbey was growing angry.

"And many parents preach abstinence and leave it at that. They're too uptight about the subject of sex to even approach it with their teens."

"How I raise my children and what I choose to tell them about sex is my right."

"Kids also have rights. That's why I started my sex education program. They deserve to know the facts about safe sex objectively, despite their parents' unwillingness to share that information."

"Objectively? From everything I've heard, you don't care about being objective; you're pushing your agenda. The word abstinence never leaves your lips. You teach them how to put on condoms and insert diaphragms."

A flash of temper piqued in Abbey's jade colored eyes. "My time with them is limited and I'd prefer to use it wisely by showing them how to protect themselves instead of wasting time on a moral lecture that'll go in one ear and out the other."

"Encouraging abstinence is a waste of time? Is that the attitude you use with your daughters?"

Abbey regretted the remark. She'd spat it out on impulse, provoked by Nora's relentless badgering, and immediately after it slipped out of her mouth, she kicked herself for letting it happen. It took mere seconds for the room to quiet to a dead silence.

* * *

Jed laughed off Abbey's faux pas when he heard about the incident from his campaign director, Mark. Knowing Abbey as well as he did, it was obvious to him that she was flustered and she said what she did to shut Nora up, something he'd be sure to praise her for later. He rejected the notion of political ramifications, no matter how many times Mark suggested it. Nora Gilbert was a thorn in Abbey's side, but she had no real power, Jed insisted, and her influence was confined to her elite social circle, most of whom were never going to vote for him anyway.

"Abbey's going to have to explain her remarks," Mark argued.

With Jack in his office, listening quietly from the corner, Jed waved off Mark's concern. "I'll make it clear that I'm fully in favor of abstinence education. Do my wife and I have to agree on everything?"

"It would make life easier, yes. It may not be fair, but when people pull that lever, they vote for both of you. She's going to need to clarify."

He shook his head. "No. If there's any clarification needed, it's on Nora's side. The shot she took at Abbey's mothering skills, that's the real crime here. Our daughter graduated number one in a class of 300 students. She's attending a top-ranked college known for turning out senators and governors, Secretaries of State and ambassadors to the United Nations. Nora's going to slam Abbey for raising a model citizen? If you ask me, she should be on her knees praying that her sons do as well for themselves as Elizabeth has."

The irony of that statement wasn't lost on Jack. He'd been there to go over the September finance numbers with Jed when Mark burst through the door to tell them that Brooke called from the CWV breakfast. All he could think about was Liz and how news of her pregnancy could be twisted and spun by her father's critics in order to win political points against him, especially after Abbey's fumble.

Jack thought Liz would have told her parents by now. It had been over two weeks since he confronted her and promised he'd be there for whatever she needed. He assumed she would have trusted him enough to allow him to help her through it, but the reality was, he took her back to school before Jed and Abbey returned from the White Mountains that weekend and he hadn't heard from her since.

Jed noticed him lost in thought when Mark finally left.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Fine," Jack replied. "Just wondering how you're going to handle this."

"You want to know how I'm going to handle it? Watch." Jed punched the button on the phone for the speaker and dialed Abbey's office number. He knew she'd be at the hospital by now.

"Dr. Bartlet," she answered, immediately recognizing that she was on speakerphone.

"I hear we've taken a firm stand against chastity," Jed harassed her. "Are we speaking out against holy matrimony tomorrow?"

"Jackass," Abbey mumbled before hanging up on him.

Jed chuckled as he looked up at Jack. "I could do this all afternoon."

He dialed again.

* * *

Severance Hall was part of the Tower Complex on Wellesley's campus. Because it boasted the largest dining hall and was known for being one of the most social dorms on campus, many freshmen hoped they'd be assigned to it. Liz was one of the lucky ones, or so she thought when she first moved in. But now that things were falling apart around her, she longed for a quieter building, where she could curl up and sleep without Guns n' Roses blaring from down the hall. She wanted a more private room, where she could close the door without seeming unfriendly to the other girls. She wanted a place to make phone calls without the threat of someone overhearing her most intimate conversations.

But she'd find none of that in Severance Hall, not even on a Wednesday night.

It didn't matter, she realized as she clung to the phone. There wouldn't be any private conversations now anyway. There wouldn't any conversations at all because Doug wouldn't take her calls. She'd called him dozens of times since their fight at the farm. She'd asked him to leave, told him that she needed a break from him. He tried to fight her at first, but eventually, he took her request to heart and since then, she hadn't been able to reach him.

Heartbroken, she hung up the phone and climbed under the covers, thinking about how much she'd hurt him. When the phone rang moments later, she threw her blanket aside and answered, excited that it might be him calling her back.

"Hello?"

But it wasn't Doug's voice she heard. It was Jack.

"When are you coming home, Liz?"

* * *

Doug Westin had fallen head-over-heels in love with Elizabeth. The first time he saw her, he was drawn to her beauty and her dynamic personality, and after he met her, he discovered her intellect and that high-achieving quality she shared with her parents. She inspired him. The more he got to know her, the more intrigued he became, and when they started dating, he felt like the luckiest guy in his fraternity. He didn't care that she was still a senior in high school. Liz was mature beyond her years and Doug knew every one of his frat brothers would have asked her out if he hadn't already done it.

The summer of 1986 was a big one for them. They admitted their love at Liz's senior prom and within weeks, they had committed themselves to each other, emotionally and physically. Doug prepared himself for Liz's move to Massachusetts. He was proud of her for getting into Wellesley, but while she was off with dreams of changing the world, he fought feelings of inadequacy for attending a state school without any direction in his life. Those feelings were nothing new - he had felt them the first time he met Jed and Abbey too. He wasn't good enough for Liz, he was afraid they'd say. Jed's immediate dislike of him only confirmed that fear.

He convinced himself that Liz loved him and that was all that mattered. So, when she broke up with him that weekend at the farm, he was devastated. He stormed out in a huff and had been avoiding her calls ever since. He watched the answering machine every time the phone rang, listened to hear her voice as she left message after message, asking him to call her back. He told himself it was pride that wouldn't allow him to pick up the phone, but in those rare moments of brutal honesty, he admitted that it was also panic.

Liz was pregnant and Doug was scared out of his mind. But he couldn't deny his love for her. When she called that afternoon, he let it ring, and when she left yet another message asking him to call her back, he nearly picked up the receiver. His hands shook with anxiety. What would he say? What would he do? He was too young to be a father and it was obvious that Liz wanted to have this baby. He didn't have the courage to do the right thing, so he did nothing at all. He couldn't talk to her yet, not until he sorted it out for himself.

"You're out of your mind," his roommate Chad told him as he heard the replay Liz's message on the machine.

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"It doesn't matter what happened. It doesn't matter what she said or did. If I had a girl like Elizabeth Bartlet beating down my door, I wouldn't turn her away."

"I'm not turning her away! I just need time to think!"

"There'd be no thinking necessary if I had that girl on my answering machine. I'd be calling her back before you could say redial."

"Even if you got her pregnant?" Doug returned.

It was a stupid slip of the tongue. He hadn't weighed the decision to tell Chad. If Doug hadn't reacted so spontaneously, he would have remembered that Chad wasn't all that trustworthy. After all, Chad was the one who told Doug about Jed's death threat back in June, something he found out from the reporters at the news station where he interned. Chad was a journalist in the making and what mattered more than anything else to him was impressing his bosses at Channel 7.

* * *

Liz rummaged through her dresser drawers, hurriedly unloading her favorite clothes and transferring them to the open suitcase on her bed. Jack had convinced her to tell her parents about the baby, in light of what happened at the breakfast. They agreed that after Ellie's birthday party on Saturday, Liz would sit down with them and, with Jack's help, get everything out in the open. But when she hung up the phone, it dawned on her that Saturday was still three days away. She couldn't bear the thought of getting through the next three days at school feeling the way she did now. She could vent, she could scream, she could cry about it all she wanted, but no matter what she did, she was still pregnant, she was still struggling in her classes, she was still alone, and most troubling of all, she was still lying to nearly everyone she knew. She couldn't stay there. She needed to be around her family, around people who knew her and loved her for who she was, even if she wasn't perfect.

After throwing some makeup and a couple of pairs of shoes into the suitcase, she zipped it up, grabbed the handle, and charged toward the door just in time to run into her roommate.

"Whoa, what's the rush?" Cassie saw an intensity in Liz she hadn't seen before. "Are you okay?"

"I'm good."

"I was just coming to tell you we're having a study group for psych in Lorri and Kim's room."

"I can't."

"What's going on?" she asked.

"I'm going home."

"In the middle of the week?"

"I need to take care of some things."

"But Liz, you've missed so much already..."

"I can't do this now, Cass. I'll call you tomorrow."

Liz dashed right past her and never looked back, not even at the elevator, where she stalled for a moment before punching the call button. Cassie watched with worry. Liz always took an overnight bag when she went home to visit her parents. Why, Cassie wondered, did she need a suitcase?

* * *

Zoey was a rambunctious little girl, especially at bedtime. Mrs. Wilburforce chased her all over the house after her bath that night, and only tracked her down to one of the spare rooms by the wet footprints she left on the hardwood floors upstairs. She wouldn't get ready for bed until her father came home, she said, and Mrs. Wilburforce knew she was serious. Jed had a late campaign event, but getting Zoey to go to sleep without him in the house was nearly impossible.

"DADDY!" she called out when she heard the front door open and the clanking of his shoes in the foyer.

Jed looked up to see her sprinting down the steps in her pink ruffled nightgown. He opened his arms to her. "Hey kitten, you're still up!"

"I waited for you." Her strawberry hair had curled into damp little ringlets.

"I tried to dry her hair, but that's part of the going to bed process and she refused," Mrs. Wilburforce informed him from the top of the stairs.

"It's okay, I'll take care of it," Jed assured her before addressing his daughter, who he held in his arms. "You know, you can't wait up for me every night."

"Why not?"

"I'll be back in Washington soon. What are you going to do then?" He saw her frown. "Don't get all pouty on me. I'm home now, so what do you say I read you a story?"

"Two stories!"

"ONE story and then bed. All right?"

"Okay," she agreed reluctantly as Jed swung her in the air and mounted the steps.

Mrs. Wilburforce was ready to leave by the time Jed finished Zoey's story. He kissed Zoey goodnight, turned out the lamp on her bedside table, and turned on her nightlight. Zoey said her goodbyes to Miss Wilburforce, then Jed walked the older woman downstairs and thanked her, as always, for taking such good care of the girls. He opened the door for her and to everyone's surprise, Liz stumbled in. She'd had her hand on the knob when Jed turned it and yanked it open.

"Lizzie?" Jed pulled her into an embrace. "What a great surprise! What are you doing here?"

"I missed you guys."

"We missed you too, you have no idea how much."

Mrs. Wilburforce gave Liz a quick hug and then went on her way.

Upstairs, Zoey had heard the voices. She kicked her covers off and ran out of her room, yelling to Ellie down the hall, "LIZZIE'S HOME!"

Liz felt a warm, fuzzy tingle when she looked up to see Zoey bounding down the steps toward her. "Hey Zo! Aren't you supposed to be in bed?"

"Yes, but people keep coming home!" The excited six-year-old crashed into her big sister, holding her tight as Liz lifted her up.

Ellie joined in then. "Lizzie? What's going on? Why are you home?"

"I'm not allowed to visit?" Liz teased as she set Zoey back down. "I thought you'd be happy to see me."

"I am, but you never come home on Wednesdays. You hardly ever come home at all anymore."

A jab for missing the White Mountains trip. She deserved it, Liz thought. "I'm sorry about that."

"Enough. She's home now; that's all that matters." Jed carried the suitcase with one hand and wrapped his other arm around his eldest daughter, ushering her into the house.

"Mom still at work?" Liz asked.

"She'll be home soon," Jed replied. "Say, did you tell Mrs. Wilburforce you were coming?"

"No, why?"

"She made your favorite for dinner tonight."

"Filet mignon?" Liz sounded hopeful.

"Sloppy Joe's."

"Dad, that was my favorite when I was seven!"

"You mean you're not seven anymore?"

"Dad."

"1975. That was a great year!" he said fondly as he led her to the kitchen to fix her a plate.

* * *

"In the middle of the week? What about her classes?"

While Ellie and Zoey helped Liz unpack in her room, Abbey came home to hear the news. She missed Liz as much as Jed did, but her reaction was laced with skepticism. It piqued her suspicion that Liz would abandon her classes and drop everything on a Wednesday to drive to Manchester.

"She talked to her professors. She'll do her work from here."

"Did she say that?"

"No, but I assume she wouldn't cut out just like that." For Jed, it didn't matter why Liz was home. He had faith in her and he'd missed her so much that he didn't bother to question her. All he cared about was that his little girl had come home without being asked. The last thing he wanted to do was pressure her to explain why or make her feel unwelcome.

"I'm worried about her."

"There's no reason to be. She's fine."

Abbey kept her eye on Jed as she called upstairs. "Liz?"

Liz ran down at the sound of her mother's voice. "Hi Mom!"

"Welcome home," Abbey said with a hug. "Did you have a good drive?"

"Yeah."

"Why didn't you tell us you were coming? I would have tried to reschedule some things to spend the day with you tomorrow."

Liz broke the embrace. "It was last-minute."

"Why?"

"I dunno, I just missed everyone and decided to get in my car and come home." She felt uncomfortable talking to Abbey, as if her problems were written all over her face and only Abbey could see it. "I'm going to finish unpacking."

"How long are you staying?"

Liz shrugged on her way to the stairs. "A couple of days. Maybe through the weekend? I don't know."

Abbey detected her hesitation. "What's going on with your classes?"

Liz's voice quivered when she replied, "I'll catch up on everything."

"Do you like your classes?"

Another quiver, her back to her parents. "My classes are great."

That was a lie, Abbey decided. She wanted to look her in the eye. "Come here."

Liz panicked. "Mom, I really have to unpack. I'm tired."

Abbey approached her and turned her around. "What's going on?"

"Nothing."

"Are you having trouble in school?"

"No."

"She's doing fine in school," Jed backed her up.

"I don't think she is," Abbey said bluntly with a glimpse into her daughter's eyes. "Are you?"

"Mom, really..." Liz bowed her head.

"Lizzie?" Abbey tucked a finger under her chin. "We don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, but tell me so I can stop worrying about what's going on with you."

"You don't have to worry."

"I do, because you're not yourself. That's plain to see."

"I'm too tired to get into this tonight."

"There's nothing to get into. I won't lecture you. I won't give you a hard time, I promise. But something is bothering you and I just want you to tell me what it is. Are you having trouble in school?"

Without looking at her, Liz nodded.

"You told me you were acing everything," Jed said, suddenly confused.

"I'm not. I'm close to failing."

"Why did you lie to me?"

"I was embarrassed."

"Sweetheart, there's nothing to be embarrassed about," Abbey hugged her again.

"We're your parents. We're here to help you," Jed added.

His words sent a jolt through Liz. If they only knew how much she needed their help right now. She was so lost, so confused. She buried her face in her mom's shoulder and began to cry.

"Oh, Lizzie. All these tears over your classes?" Abbey rubbed her back. "There's no reason to be this upset, honey. The semester's only a month old. We'll work on it. We'll get you back on track and you'll be just fine by December."

Liz broke the hug then. She had the opportunity to tell them everything and she tried desperately to summon the courage. Wiping at her face, she opened her mouth to talk, but in a flash, she lost her nerve. Taking a few steps back, she took a calming breath, and then another, and another, until she was back to a steady rhythm. She watched her parents just as closely as they watched her. They had that look on their faces, like they were overwhelmed with concern and at the same time, expecting to hear more.

She said softly, "I want to take a leave of absence from school."

"A leave of absence?" Jed was startled by the idea. "You don't need a leave of absence. We'll help you, we'll get you to where you need to be."

"No, you don't understand."

"We DO understand," Abbey reasoned with her. "We've been there. College can be a shock and it takes some time to adjust to it."

"I really can't go back right now," Liz cried. "Please."

Jed had never seen her like this. She was afraid of something, he could tell. The possibilities made him shiver. He stepped forward and cupped her cheeks with his hands to look her in the eye, his own eyes brimming with compassion for whatever she was going through.

"Look at me," he said. She tried to avoid it, but he made her. "We love you. You know that, right?" She nodded. "Did something happen? Did someone say something? Did someone do something?"

"No, it has nothing to do with anyone at school."

"Then what's going on? What happened?"

"I just need some time." Liz pulled away from him. They were being so sympathetic that she kicked herself for being such a coward. They deserved to know and more than that, she needed to tell them.

"Time for what? Time to hang out with Doug and do nothing all day?"

"Jed." Abbey put a hand on his shoulder.

"No, that's not why!"

"I'm sorry, but you have to give us more than this. Help me, Elizabeth, because I don't understand why you'd want to take any time off at the beginning of your college education." Jed was as worried as Abbey now. "Was this Doug's idea? Is he pissed that you're so far away?"

"Doug and I broke up, okay?"

A wave of understanding came over Abbey. "So that's what this is about. I know you loved him, but sweetheart, you can't put your life on hold because you have a broken heart."

"That's right," Jed agreed. "You can't sit at home and wait to get over Doug. Angel, there are a million guys out there who would kill to be your boyfriend. Doug wasn't even worth your time."

"Don't say that," Liz pleaded.

"He didn't deserve you, Lizzie. If he did, he wouldn't have let you go."

"Stop! You can't talk about him like that! You have no idea..." her words trailed off.

"We have no idea...what?" Abbey prodded.

"Nothing," Liz said, starting toward the stairs once again. "I'm just not going back to school. End of story."

"No, it's not the end of the story!" Jed's concern had turned into irritation. "You can stay here for the next few days and we'll help you, we'll fix whatever's going on..."

"You can't fix this!" Liz was frustrated at not being able to get through to them. "Not everything can be fixed!"

Jed ignored her interruption. "Come Monday, you're going back to school."

"No, I'm not."

"Liz..."

"I'm not going back, Dad! I can't go back!"

"Why the hell not?"

"Because I'm pregnant!" she blurted out tearfully.

Abbey gasped as if she'd been kicked in the gut. Jed was so stunned, he couldn't even move. They both stood there, frozen to their spots, staring at their daughter. Upstairs, Zoey and Ellie had heard the commotion about Liz returning to school. They'd tiptoed to the top landing where they could see the drama unfold just below. When they heard Liz's confession, they too were shocked. Ellie whispered a quiet 'whoa!' that only Zoey was meant to hear and silently, they took a seat on the top step and waited for someone to say something.

TBC


	24. Chapter 24

Series: Snapshots of the Past

Story: The Candidate's Daughter

Chapter 24

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Previously: After Abbey was confronted about her sex ed class on the campaign trail, Jack persuaded Liz to tell her parents about her pregnancy; Liz blurted out her secret during a disagreement with Jed about taking a leave of absence from school; Abbey prescribed antibiotics for Liz's sinus infection, not realizing she was taking birth control pills (Chapter 16)

Summary: Jed and Abbey react to Liz's news in different ways

Author's Note: Jed and Abbey's views on abortion came from my interpretation of canon. In the Pilot, it was revealed that while Jed believed the law shouldn't dictate what a woman does with her body, he, personally, was against abortion. As for Abbey's views, I used Privateers as my inspiration. This is all just my interpretation of the characters and what they'd say when faced with this situation

* * *

The Bartlet house had never been so quiet. The wall clock that hung in the foyer ticked louder and louder as the minutes dragged on, the sound nearly deafening to Ellie and Zoey, who felt like the rest of the world was frozen in silence around them. The two girls sat at the top of the stairs, speechlessly watching as their parents absorbed Elizabeth's revelation down below. It wasn't a conscious effort to invade Liz's privacy or eavesdrop on a conversation that was meant to be private. Like Jed and Abbey, Ellie and Zoey were simply too stunned to move.

Downstairs, Liz's eyes moved from one parent to another, waiting anxiously for someone to start. They just stared at her, their expressions a combination of disbelief and, she feared, disappointment. Jed's lips parted, as if he wanted to talk but couldn't. Abbey studied her daughter's frame, from her head down to her toes, and Liz wondered if she could see it now. The few pounds she'd gained were hidden under a long, loose sweater that dropped to her knees over a pair of black leggings. But it was still noticeable to her. How could it not be to her mom? And her face, those rosy cheeks that she felt were getting chubbier by the day. Couldn't Abbey see the evidence of the weight gain in her face?

The silence was killing her. "Say something...please."

"What do you mean you're pregnant?" Abbey asked, a flash of denial in her words. "Maybe you're just late."

"No." Liz shook her head. "I took a pregnancy test."

"It could have been wrong."

"And I went to a clinic in Wellesley. The doctor there confirmed it. I'm pregnant."

It was even harder than Liz thought it would be. She regretted blurting it out the way she did. She wished she had waited for Jack, wished that she'd somehow prepared her parents for the shock. She watched them reeling from her news. It was easy to see on her mother, the reaction she'd feared for so long. Abbey's expression changed by the second as she absorbed the bits and pieces of information Liz offered. Her father's response was more ambiguous. He looked at her, stone-faced, almost like he hadn't heard or comprehended what she said. She'd never seen him like that before and she hoped with everything she had that she'd never see him like that again.

"Pregnant?" The word was barely audible, breathed out in the form of a question from Abbey. It never dawned on her that Liz could be pregnant. The weight gain was the start of 'freshman fifteen,' she'd convinced herself. She went through it when she was 18; most college girls did.

Liz nodded. "Yes."

It was so glaringly obvious to Abbey now. Liz had been sick when they moved her into her dorm and ever since that day, something was different about her, something that Abbey dismissed as college fatigue, homesickness, and the dreaded college adjustment period. How could she have been so blind? She prided herself on knowing her girls so well. How could she not have known this life-changing event was happening to Liz?

Her eyes resting on her daughter's midsection, wondering what it was she couldn't see under that sweater, she asked, "How far along?"

"Two months," Liz said. "I didn't plan to tell you like this. We were supposed to sit down and have a conversation."

"We?"

"Uncle Jack and I..."

"Uncle Jack knows about this?"

"He found out."

Liz's stare floated to her father. If he was upset that his brother knew before the rest of the family, he didn't show it. He didn't show much of anything, in fact. He stood still as a statue, motionless except for the occasional blink. She wished she could make him talk. Shout even. It didn't have to be something profound. It didn't even have to be fair. He had a temper and for once, Liz wished she could provoke it, because even if he screamed at her, it would have been better than the silent judgment she feared was trampling through his mind.

"I wasn't stupid about it," she went on. "We used protection." She tried to make Jed wince, anything to indicate he was still listening. "Condoms at first, and then birth control pills." Nothing. He didn't even flinch at the mention of condoms or pills. "I took them every day, just like the doctor told me."

"What doctor?" Abbey asked, drawing Liz out of her focus on Jed.

She curled her bottom lip, ashamed to admit that after she stopped seeing her pediatrician, she'd secretly gone to another doctor. "Dr. Box...in Bedford."

"I asked you months ago to find a doctor. You said you hadn't picked one yet."

"I lied," she said. "I thought if I told you I'd been seeing a doctor all along, you'd worry about why."

"And that would have been a tragedy, me worrying about you?"

"I'm sorry..." Now that one lie was out in the open, a fresh coat of tears flooded Liz's eyes and weeks of anguish came pouring out. "...for this and the other lies too."

"Other lies?"

"Me and Doug. When you asked me about us at the Fourth of July barbecue, I told you nothing was going on, that all we'd done is kiss. It was a lie. We'd already..." She stopped and looked at her father again. "I lied about school, when I told Dad I was acing everything, when I told you both how much I liked it. I hate it. I'm failing and I don't know if I can get back on-track. I don't even know if I want to. I lied about the White Mountains. I lied about why I skipped Dad's victory party after the primary. I lied about so much."

Her words faded in Jed's mind. August. That's when his shock turned to confusion, when she said she'd conceived in August. It was October. She had to have known she was pregnant for weeks. Why hadn't she told them? Better yet, why had she told Jack? And then, the rest of her confession came rambling out. All the lies she admitted to. He'd fallen for every single one of them. How could he have believed her? How could he have trusted her? How did he not know? Who was this girl who could look him in the eye and lie to him so easily over and over again? She wasn't the Lizzie he knew. She wasn't the Lizzie he raised. Doug Westin had changed her, he'd once said. He never believed it more than he did at that very moment.

He wanted to confront her with a barrage of questions, but the anger muted his voice.

"This is why you and Doug broke up?" Abbey continued.

Liz nodded and it was that nod that brought Jed back to life. Here she was - 18 years old, alone, afraid, and pregnant with Doug's baby, and he had the gall to walk out on her. Just like the punk Jed always thought he was. Jed felt sick to his stomach, enraged by what he heard. He'd warned Liz about him. He even fought their romance for a time. And now, not only had all his fears about Doug breaking her heart come true, it was worse than he ever imagined. He'd left her with a baby growing in her womb.

He charged toward the front door with a purpose and a look that scared Liz.

"Dad, don't!" She chased after him, but he was steps ahead of her. "DAD!" No response. "If you go to Doug's, I'll never speak to you again!"

It was enough to make Jed pause. Standing in the doorway, he turned to look at her. Then, without a word, he continued outside.

"Jed!" Abbey called him as she followed him onto the porch and closed the door behind her.

"I was the one who broke up with him!" Liz cried, hoping it was loud enough for him to hear.

Ellie and Zoey had watched the whole thing from the top of the stairs. The second their parents were gone, they ran down, two steps at a time, and crashed into Liz with open arms, Ellie on one side and Zoey on the other.

"Don't cry, Lizzie," Zoey told her.

"They're shocked is all," Ellie added. "They'll come around."

There was no judgment in their voices, just pure unconditional love and a measure of sympathy and hurt for what she was going through. They hugged her tight, even shedding a few tears of their own as they tried to clam her. It was no use, but just the fact that they cared enough to try made Liz eternally grateful for her sisters.

* * *

A half hour had passed since Jed had driven away. Liz heard his car kicking up the gravel on his way off the property. Abbey had never come back inside and Liz thought that she might have gone with him. It would have been a relief if she had - her parents usually kept each other in-check - but she peaked out the sidelight and saw Abbey sitting on the swing, staring out into the distance. An autumn storm was brewing; Liz could tell by the tumbling leaves in the yard and the way the trees swayed in the wind. She sent Zoey and Ellie to bed, then grabbed a rain jacket to join her mother outside.

Abbey was lost in thought. She'd pieced together the timeline of conception and was grappling with what she realized. It was the antibiotics, the ones she'd prescribed for Liz two months earlier. Liz said she didn't know what went wrong with her birth control, but Abbey did; and she blamed herself for allowing it to happen. How long had she been a practicing physician? How many years had she been schooled on taking complete medical and sexual histories? If a random 18-year-old girl had come to see her for antibiotics for a sinus infection, Abbey would have asked her everything, from current medications to prior sexual partners. It was standard. She'd been doing it since the first year of medical school.

But she didn't do it with Liz.

"Mom?" Liz called out to her as she opened the door. Abbey didn't answer. She didn't even move when Liz sat down beside her on the swing.

They rocked in silence for several seconds until Abbey was ready to talk.

"You had a sinus infection back in August. I wrote you a script for antibiotics. Where did you have it filled?"

Liz wondered why that mattered now. "At the pharmacy."

"Our regular pharmacy?"

"Yeah."

"And your birth control pills? Where did you have them filled?"

"What difference does it make?" For whatever reason, she could tell it made a difference to Abbey. "I went to a pharmacy across town."

"Because you were afraid that if you went to our regular pharmacy, if you went to Paul to have it filled, I might find out?"

"Yeah."

Abbey finally turned to her. "What have I ever done to make you so scared to tell me?"

"Nothing."

"Did you think I would yell at you if I knew you were sexually active? Did you think that I'd love you less or that I'd call you names?"

"I just wanted my privacy."

"We went through a rough patch when you were in high school. Is that why..."

"No, Mom, it had nothing to do with that. Sex and intimacy isn't a subject that every girl wants to talk to her mother about."

"I didn't expect details, Liz. And if you didn't want to turn to me for advice or guidance, I can understand that. I can respect it. What I don't understand is your desperation."

"What do you mean?"

"It was your desperation to keep us from finding out that led to this. Taking prescriptions from different doctors without telling each one what medications you're already taking? You know better than that."

"I wasn't thinking of it that way. I know you're a doctor, but when you give me a prescription, I just think of it as Mom giving me medicine."

"And then you had the prescriptions filled at different pharmacies. Do you know how dangerous that can be? A pharmacist checks for drug interactions when you bring in prescriptions. Didn't you think about that?"

"I guess not."

"You should have. When you went to Paul to have your prescription filled, if he had known what else you were taking, he would have told you that that particular antibiotic has been known to interfere with birth control pills. He would have warned you to use back-up birth control."

A look of horror crossed Liz's face. From the moment she found out she was carrying Doug's baby, she felt like it was a cruel joke. She was always so careful. Always worried and prepared. But it had happened anyway. She ended up pregnant, despite all the precautions she took. Learning that it was her own mistake, her own naiveté that made it happen, was like a punch to the gut. Her features crumbled and her breaths grew more shallow.

Abbey called it a panic attack. She let go of any feelings of disappointment or anger and grabbed Liz, wrapping her up in the cocoon of her embrace, trying to soothe her by rubbing circles on her back the way she had so many times when she was a little girl, upset about something that happened at school or on the playground. Her back rubs always worked back then. Liz's scraped knee or gradeschool skirmish was quickly forgotten with Mom's tender touch. But it would take much more than that to console her now. Liz was hurting. She was lost. Ashamed. Remorseful. It seemed from the moment she came home, all she had done was cry. Abbey couldn't stand to see her child in so much turmoil. She held her the way only a mother could. She kissed her cheek and whispered in her ear, a vow that somehow, they'd all get through this together.

* * *

Jed felt like he was driving in circles. He'd left the house with every intention of confronting Doug, but somewhere between the driveway of the farmhouse and the narrow road that led to Doug's off-campus apartment, he reached a frightening realization. It wasn't often that Jed's temper scared even himself, but just the thought of what Doug had done prompted fear tonight. He'd used Liz. He'd taken advantage of her, seduced her, and when he got what he wanted, he left her. That was how Jed saw it. He couldn't imagine that Liz would have been the aggressor, not with what he knew about her. She had higher morals and better sense than to lose herself over someone like Doug Westin.

Or did she?

He acknowledged his bias. In some ways, he still saw Liz as a little girl with big round eyes that always made everyone's heart melt. Even as a young woman, she was inexperienced, naive and vulnerable to a man like Doug, Jed wanted to believe. But digging deep in his soul, he finally recognized his daughter for what she was - strong, capable, and independent. She didn't allow herself to be bullied. Just like her mother, she had that sweet angel face that no one found threatening unless they tried to intimidate her. She stood up for herself. She didn't let herself be used, and although Jed spent the summer denying it, she was just as much in control of her relationship with Doug as Doug was. The mess she was in now wasn't entirely Doug's fault.

Still, Doug left her. He got her pregnant, broke her heart, and left her, and that was unforgivable as far as Jed was concerned. No man would do that to a woman he truly loved. No real man anyway. Doug wasn't a real man, Jed smirked. He was a lying bastard who wormed his way into Liz's life just so he could turn it upside down. Jed wished he'd been stronger in his resistance to their budding romance back when she was 17. He wished he'd forbidden her from even talking to him. He wished he'd taken a firmer stand because if he had, he might have been able to protect her from what was happening now. But she was too stubborn, too convincing. She begged him to let her make her own decisions and he had given in. He hated himself for that. Even more, he hated Doug.

A sudden bolt of anger spurred him on as he floored the gas and turned his car around, his tires sliding across the glassy rain-swept street. Liz had given him Doug's address once, when she was invited to a St. Patrick's Day party at his place on the eve of her 18th birthday. Jed knew exactly where it was. He made all the lights and then a sharp curb into Doug's neighborhood, where he pulled up to the row of one-story apartments and parked. He wanted to barge in and knock Doug out in one fluid motion, and he ignored all the instincts that screamed that wasn't his style, that he didn't talk with his fists. But he couldn't ignore his unlocked passenger's side door. It opened suddenly and Jack climbed into the car. Jed had been so unnerved when he drove into the parking lot that he didn't even notice his brother sitting there, waiting for him.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Liz called and said you might be stopping by to have a word with Doug."

Of course she did. That didn't surprise Jed, knowing what he knew now. "And that involves you how?"

"Considering I'm the one who's going to have to call Abbey to tell her to get the bail money ready after you deck him..."

"Is that some kind of joke?"

Jack shrugged. "I don't know, depends on what you came here to do."

Jed was short on patience tonight and the last thing he wanted was Jack pushing his buttons. "Get out of my car."

"You don't know the whole story, Jed. Doug didn't dump her. She broke up with him."

"You think that changes things?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact I do," Jack said just before long pause.

"She wants to quit school. Did she tell you that?"

"She won't. She's too smart to do something like that."

"She WAS too smart to do something like that. Doug came into her life and she lost herself. She lost who she was. I don't even know her anymore. I'd be surprised if she knew herself."

"Doug didn't force her to do anything she didn't want to do."

"I swear to God, if you're here to defend Doug..."

"I don't give a damn about Doug! I'm here to calm you down before you charge in there and do something you'll regret." Jack took a breath. "Not that it matters. Doug's not even here."

Jed scanned the lot and realized Jack was right. Doug's car was missing. He wondered if he was off impregnating some other unsuspecting girl. "I'm good at waiting."

"Like a stalker?" Jack smiled, trying to break through his brother's anger. "I wanted to hit him too. I almost did."

"When?"

"The day he and Liz broke up. She asked him to leave and I jumped in his face and he shoved me."

"Where was this?"

"At the farmhouse. Liz didn't know I was there. I overheard them."

"You overheard them...at MY house? What the hell goes on behind my back?"

"It wasn't planned. You and Abbey were in the White Mountains; Liz and Doug were at the house. You asked me to feed Ginger."

"Liz told me she had an exam to study for that weekend. That's why she bowed out of the trip." It had been one lie after another and that's what irritated Jed the most. "That was a couple of weeks ago. In that time, you've seen me every single day. You never thought to tell me that my daughter was pregnant?"

"It wasn't my place." Jed scoffed as Jack went on, "It was Liz's secret to tell."

"And she didn't want to tell it!" Jed countered. "What if she hadn't told us tonight? Would you have left me in the dark until she went into labor?"

"We were going to tell you together this weekend. I called Liz this afternoon and told her to come home. We were going to wait until after Ellie's birthday party, that was the plan."

"Yeah, well, Liz doesn't do things according to plan," he huffed. "Over the summer, when I caught her smoking with Doug, I grounded her. She was so pissed. She laid into me and told me I should trust her, that she knows what she's doing. She looked me in the eye and lied to me."

"She didn't see it as a lie. She believed what she told you. She thought she did know what she was doing. Come on, what girl is going to admit to her father that she's sleeping with her boyfriend? You didn't really think Liz would tell you that, did you?"

"She didn't need to tell me. You think I didn't know they were serious? I didn't realize they were sleeping together, I'll give you that. I thought Liz had better taste, and frankly, a little more self-respect, but I saw the way they looked at each other. I suspected she was covering up hickeys with makeup. I tried to pretend I didn't, but I did. And yeah, I'm disappointed in her, I'm disappointed that she slept with him, that she didn't wait for someone better suited for her. But that's not why I'm pissed."

"Why are you pissed?"

"All the sneaking around she did. She likes to brag that she's 18, that she's an adult, she's got her life together, she's mature and capable, and then she sneaks around like a rebellious ninth grader. She gets pregnant and instead of coming to us, what does she do? She lies, she flunks out of school, and God only knows what else."

"She was afraid of your reaction, Jed. And to be perfectly honest with you, now that it's out in the open, I can't say I blame her. She tells you about the biggest, most frightening thing that's ever happened to her and instead of staying and talking her through it, you storm out of the house in search of Doug? What the hell are you thinking?"

He wasn't thinking, Jed admitted only to himself. He knew that he should have stayed. He should have been there to console her and to help Abbey deal with the aftermath. It was shock that pushed him out the door and once he was in the car, it was his rage toward Doug that kept him going. He felt guilty for leaving Abbey. He even felt guilty for leaving Liz. But the longer he'd been gone, the more time he had to think and his thoughts focused on how naive he'd been.

All her life, he and Liz had been so close. He cherished their relationship, a special one-of-a-kind parent-child bond that he never shared with his own parents. It formed the minute Liz was born and grew stronger day after day. He thought he knew everything about her, yet he was so oblivious to something so huge, it had the potential to change all their lives forever. She didn't even come to him for help and all he could do was torture himself with why. What had he done to make her so afraid to turn to him when she needed him the most?

As hard as it was hearing that she was pregnant, what hurt Jed more was all the lies that went into covering it up.

* * *

One of the most challenging clerkships Abbey had during her third year of medical school was the month she spent on OB-GYN. Her friends who had already rotated through that service had warned her how demanding the hours were, how difficult it was to take call and not sleep for 48 hours straight. But as someone who'd fallen in love with surgery earlier that year, she wasn't afraid of a little hard work. Upperclassmen told her that the OB residents were cranky and overworked, that they were hard to get along with, but Abbey didn't care. Surgeons had egos too, she reasoned, and she'd gotten along with everyone on her surgery rotation. Lizzie had just turned six and Abbey had recently discovered she was pregnant with Ellie. As a young mom, she thought OB-GYN was going to be the second best rotation of the year - until she met Claire Barrett.

It was the spring of 1974, a year after Roe versus Wade was passed down by the Supreme Court. Residents and attendings were performing legal abortions, but the landmark ruling was so new that medical schools hadn't yet addressed their students' roles in assisting. Abbey was caught off-guard. She had expected a month of honing her gynecological skills, examining pregnant women, delivering babies, and learning by observing cesareans and hysterectomies. She'd even helped out with a tubal ligation and despite her loyalty to the Catholic faith, she didn't object to that - after all, she and Jed used birth control, which also went against the teachings of the Church - but there was a line that separated birth control procedures from abortion, and Abbey found herself nervously straddling that line.

Claire Barrett was 25 years old, Abbey remembered. She'd gotten pregnant just after her husband returned from Vietnam. Within weeks, he started showing the first symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and after a violent confrontation following a night of drinking, he left her with a black eye and a fat upper lip. When he turned his rage on their two small children, Claire packed up the kids and fled their Boston brownstone with only the money in her pocket and the clothes on her back. She ached for the baby she carried. She agonized over it. But by the time Abbey met her, she'd decided she just couldn't care for a third baby by herself. Adoption counseling was the first step, but she insisted it wasn't for her. Carrying a baby to term and giving it away would be too hard, she'd said. So, the medical team prepared for an abortion and Abbey warred with her conscience. There was no gray area, no Thomas Aquinas double-effect loophole that would abolish her compliance in the eyes of God. It came down to a choice - walk out of the surgery or stay and remember that science and religion sometimes clashed and that training to be a competent doctor was about putting her religious judgments aside and tending to the patients who claimed top priority.

Abbey chose to stay. She neither performed the procedure nor helped the resident and attending who did. She stood in a corner in that chilly room, a silent witness to what so many termed an unspeakable sin.

In the twelve years since that unforgettable day, she'd counseled other patients on terminating their pregnancies, patients who came to her with pulmonary hypertension or congestive heart failure. Abbey advised them that their lives depended on ending the physical stress the pregnancy put on their heart. In those cases, it was life or death for the mother. There was no debate, no dilemma. But although her field didn't require her to counsel perfectly healthy women, she was no longer the nervous medical student when it came to them either. She spoke up as a pro-choice advocate, believing that abortion was a medical issue between a woman, her partner, and her doctor. It was no one's job to pass judgment.

At least not when it came to strangers.

The rules shouldn't have been different for her own family, but sitting with Lizzie on the porch swing that night, it was obvious that they were. She couldn't bear to think of Liz having an abortion. As if the physical pain wasn't enough, the mental anguish would destroy her; Abbey was sure of it. But she had no right to make the decision for her. Liz deserved to know the facts and as her mother, Abbey had an obligation to help her understand them. They sat side-by-side, Liz's head resting on her mother's shoulder with Abbey's arm draped around her. Raindrops continued to fall, pelting the steps of the deck. She and Liz absent-mindedly kicked the floor, causing the swing to sway.

Abbey contemplated the conversation in her mind for several minutes before she was ready to have it.

"There are options," she said finally. "Have you thought about that?"

Liz sat up and dabbed at her eyes with a tissue. She had wanted to bring it up herself, but she worried that Abbey would be repulsed by the idea. She asked fearfully, "Do you think I should have an abortion?"

"That's a decision I can't make for you."

"What if I want you to?"

Abbey gazed at her lovingly. All grown up, but in so many ways, still a young girl pleading for Mom's guidance. "Whatever you do is something you'll have to live with for the rest of your life, Lizzie. I'll support you and I'll help you, but it has to be your decision."

Liz sat there quietly as she worked up the courage to admit, "I went to a clinic in Boston."

"When?"

"The weekend you guys were in the White Mountains. Doug took me, but I left. I couldn't go through with it." She heard the sigh of relief that Abbey tried to hide. "You don't think that's a mistake?"

"If you couldn't do it, take that as a sign. You have to follow your heart, do what feels right."

"Nothing feels right. Nothing at all."

"Something will eventually." Abbey reached out to her and tucked a strand of her long brown hair behind her ear.

"I'm thinking about adoption."

"That's another option."

"I can't raise a baby. I don't have a job or any money. I don't even know what's going to happen with school."

"Giving up a baby is going to be extremely difficult. Have you thought about that?"

"No matter how difficult it is for me, it'll be better for her. She needs a mom who knows what she's doing, and a dad too. A girl needs a father," she said, thinking about her special relationship with her own father. "I could find a couple who doesn't have kids and really wants one, a couple who'll give her everything she wants, who'll love her and raise her the way she deserves to be raised."

There was genuine affection in Liz's voice when she spoke of her baby.

"Her?" Abbey asked, surprised.

"It doesn't feel right to keep referring to her as 'it.' " Liz shrugged. "So...what do you think?"

"It's going to be hard..." Hard was an understatement. It seemed impossible to Abbey. "But I think, under the circumstances, it would be an incredibly brave thing to do."

"Will you help me?" Liz asked with a sad and hopeless inflection. "I don't want to give her to just anyone. I want to be sure she'll have a good home and a good family. A good childhood. I want her to grow up with parents who love her, a couple of siblings...sisters maybe. I don't want her to ever feel unwanted or unloved."

She and Jed could give the baby all those things and more, Abbey wanted to say. They could help Liz raise her until she graduated college, even longer if she wanted to fulfill her graduate school ambitions. She considered making the offer, but emotions were running so high tonight and Liz was so vulnerable that Abbey feared she'd agree to anything to win her parents' approval and make all her problems go away. It was too big a decision for that.

Before Abbey could answer, they heard a car make the turn onto the gravel drive. Mother and daughter stood up together and waited for Jed to pull up and park in front of the house.

"What happened?" Liz asked him before he even shut the car door.

"Relax," he told her. "Doug wasn't home."

"You had no right to go over there."

Jed mounted the steps up to the porch. "I don't think now is the time for you to tell me my rights."

"You can't blame Doug for this," she said, following him into the house. "It's not his fault that it happened."

Jed spun around. His angry eyes locked into hers. "You know what, I am so damn sick and tired of hearing you defend Doug Westin!"

"Jed." Abbey tried to intervene, but Jed shrugged her off.

"I'm SICK of it, Elizabeth! Open your eyes! See him for what he is - an irresponsible loser who runs when things get messy! I swear, if I never hear that guy's name again, it'll be too soon!"

For once, Liz had no defensive comeback. Drained by the emotional night they'd all had and hurt by her father's outburst, she ran upstairs, leaving Jed to take a couple of deep, calming breaths as an annoyed Abbey waited for him to cool off.

"That wasn't necessary," she said when he turned to face her. "She's had a rough night."

"We all have." Jed pulled his jacket off and flung it across the room.

"Yes, we have!" Abbey agreed sharply. "How could you leave like that?"

"I needed to get out of here."

"And I needed you to stay! And so did Liz!"

"Liz needed me? For what? So I could stand here like a fool while she detailed all the ways she's been deceiving us the past few months? That's not the girl we raised, Abbey. That's Doug Westin's creation."

"Don't be ridiculous."

"You think that's ridiculous? I don't even recognize her. Do you?" Abbey didn't reply. "Our Lizzie was sweet and honest, with dreams and aspirations. Real ones. Noble ones. She wouldn't have let this happen. She wouldn't want to drop out of school and ruin her life."

"She's not going to ruin her life."

"No?"

"She has a plan."

"Does it include going back to school?" Abbey's silence once again confirmed his fears. "That's what I thought."

"We didn't talk about school. There were more pressing issues to discuss, like her options."

Her options? It took a second for Jed to understand what she meant. "Don't say it."

"I talked to her..."

"About abortion."

"About abortion, yes," Abbey answered, unapologetically. "She's our daughter, Jed. I'll be damned if she's not going to know all her options."

"Is she going to do it?" Jed wouldn't have stood in her way, but the thought of his little girl aborting his grandchild was a tough pill to swallow for a man who spent months as a theology major at Notre Dame dissuading young women from doing that very thing.

"No." Abbey paused for a beat, watching the relief wash over his face. "She wants to give the baby up for adoption."

"Adoption." It wasn't a question.

"She thinks it's the best choice, for her and the baby." She waited for another wave of relief, but it never came. "Jed?"

"I heard you. I just..." He agreed it was best for Liz to give the baby up, but how could they turn their backs on their own flesh and blood?

"What?"

"I'm not convinced it's best for the baby. Shuffled around from one foster home to another for 18 years? He or she could be abused. Beaten."

"Don't think like that."

"What if this kid ends up in a home with a father like I had?"

"Jed, don't..."

"It's our grandchild, Abbey!"

"Don't you think I know that? But Liz is still so young herself. She can't raise a baby."

"I know she can't," he admitted. "And I'm proud of her for at least recognizing that, but no matter what we think of what's happened, this baby isn't the one at fault. He or she is a member of our family. How can we give it away to strangers?"

Abbey looked into his eyes and, just like always, read his heart with the emotions she saw shining in his baby blues. He was feeling the same way she was outside on the swing. "Maybe we don't have to. We could help Liz."

"Of course we're going to help her. She's just a kid."

"I mean, if she kept the baby, we could help her raise it. She could live at home and attend UNH, just like she wanted to before Wellesley."

Jed nodded. "And if she wanted to go back to Wellesley, we could care for the baby here. We'll hire a nanny during the day if it's too much for Mrs. Landingham. You'll be home every night, and when I'm not in Washington, I could take the baby to the office."

"Liz could come home every weekend. And when she's at school, at least she'll know the baby's in good hands."

"You think she'll go for it?"

"I don't know. Right now, she's set on giving it up, but I think she'll realize how hard that's going to be the further she gets into the pregnancy."

Jed's mind went a mile a minute. "And if she doesn't want to be a mother, fine. Maybe she'll let us adopt it."

"You'd want to adopt it?"

"You wouldn't?"

"Of course I would. I just didn't think you would. When we talked about adopting our own baby, you came up with a litany of reasons for why it was the wrong time. You even convinced me."

"It was the wrong time for us and it still is, but what choice do we have? It's Liz's baby. I don't want to spend every day of my life wondering if our grandchild is being taken care of, if he or she has enough to eat at night, has decent shoes to wear to school."

"I don't either."

"We can provide a stable home, a loving family, financial security, and anything else it would ever need. With all the blessings we've been given, Abbey, how can we live with ourselves if we don't at least try to keep this baby with us?"

"I'll talk to Liz," she promised as she took his hands and threaded her fingers through his. "But Jed, there's something else to consider."

"What?"

"If Liz doesn't want to keep the baby and she decides to let us adopt, there's one more obstacle. It's not just Liz's decision."

Jed understood what she meant - Doug. "He doesn't want it."

"What if he does?"

"He doesn't. If he did, he never would have let her go."

"She broke up with him."

"I don't care. He would have fought to be a part of her life."

"He's a kid too, Jed. His girlfriend is pregnant. She tells him she doesn't want to see him anymore. He's scared."

"I don't care how scared he is. You don't abandon someone you love."

"You have to prepare yourself for the possibility is all I'm saying."

Jed let go of her hand and started pacing. Abbey looked on, concerned as his demeanor changed at the reminder of Doug Westin. Of all the problems to navigate with Liz's pregnancy, Doug was bound to be the most explosive.

TBC


	25. Chapter 25

Series: Snapshots of the Past

Story: The Candidate's Daughter

Chapter 25

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Previously: Shocked by Liz's news, Jed stormed out of the house while Abbey put the pieces together and confronted, then comforted Liz; desperate to fit in, Ellie was thrilled when she met three eighth graders who invited her to have lunch with them (Chapter 21)

Summary: The fallout from Liz's news is the backdrop to Ellie's birthday party; Abbey isn't comfortable with Ellie's new friends

* * *

Ellie's birthday came at the worst possible time that year, only days after Elizabeth broke the news of her pregnancy. There was a cloud of tension in the house. Liz was on a self-imposed exile in her room for most hours of the day, Abbey worked her usual 14-hour shifts at the hospital, and Jed had stacked his schedule with campaign events and office work that kept him out until she got off work. Busy with school and extracurricular activities, Ellie and Zoey were relieved to be with their friends during the week. But it was the weekend now and the plan was for everyone to come together for the first time in days in preparation of Ellie's slumber party.

The day began with Abbey's mother baking a two-tiered birthday cake in the Bartlet kitchen, humming along with the music that blared out of a portable stereo Abbey had set up. Mary loved to bake. When her two daughters were little, she baked daily, whether it was for school bake sales, Friday night dinner parties, or just casual snacks for the family. Cookies, brownies, cakes, and pies, every treat in the Barrington house was homemade and she took great pride in that. But her girls were grown now, with families of their own, and her husband, James, didn't have the sweet tooth she did. So, she jumped at any chance to show off her baking talents, first by volunteering to bake a cake in honor of Liz's 18th birthday, and then, when she realized Ellie was in awe of that cake, promising to bake one just for her.

"It's beautiful, Mom," Abbey praised her. "Ellie will love it."

Ellie's cake was chocolate and iced with vanilla buttercream. Two marshmallow fondant ribbons crisscrossed the top. They were satiny red and looped to form a bow while a sprinkling of ruby red candy trimmed the bottom. Abbey watched Mary put the finishing touches on it, flashing back to her childhood and remembering all those days as a young girl, baking a cake with Mom. Mary had bought her a step-stool when she was little so the two of them could bake for hours at a time.

"What's wrong?" Mary asked now, seeing a sad look in Abbey's eyes.

"I was just thinking about how we used to bake together every afternoon when I was in grade school. Remember?"

"Of course I do." She smiled.

"I wish I had made those memories with my girls."

"What are you talking about? You did."

Abbey shook her head. "We baked now and then, but not like you and I did."

"It's not about the baking, Abbey. It's the quality time that matters. You spend quality time with Lizzie, Ellie, and Zoey whenever you can."

'Whenever you can' was the sticking point. There was no denying the life that Abbey had built for her family wasn't nearly as simple as the life she had growing up. She started 'Girls' Day' when Lizzie was young. It was meant to be a special day of bonding for mother and daughter, but over the years, there had been fewer and fewer Girls' Days. A career in surgery was so demanding, so intrusive that even weekends were gone during training. And now that she was revamping the residency program at the hospital, things weren't much better. Some of her weekends were gone now too, and with them, went a slew of unmade memories. Somedays, she thought about that. Today was one of those days.

"Where's Jed?" Millie asked as she helped Abbey dip apples into the cinnamon candy mixture they'd made.

"Campaigning."

"On Ellie's birthday?"

"He'll be here for the party."

"I swear, it'll be a miracle if one of these days the two of you are here together to get ready for one of these things," Mary teased, remembering that last year, it was Abbey who was called away to the hospital and Jed who had to prepare for Ellie's party by himself.

"We're doing the best we can, Mom," Abbey replied in a much more serious tone, one that got even Zoey's attention. The six-year-old looked up from her seat at the table, where she was decorating gift bags for Ellie's guests.

"Of course you are. I didn't mean anything." Mary had noticed something different about her daughter. She assumed it was just a hectic weekend, but she was starting to wonder.

"Mom?" Ellie called as she charged into the kitchen in an outfit that looked like she'd just stepped out of Teen Vogue. "Can I borrow your gold chain belt?"

Abbey eyed her up and down. She had strappy nude sandals on her feet and she wore a pair of blue lace leggings, an oversized turquoise ribbed sweater, gold bangle bracelets, and a pretty gold necklace with a large heart pendant. "Who are you?"

"Mom."

"Where did you get that outfit?"

"It's my friend Lacy's. She let me borrow it."

"I don't buy you enough clothes?"

"Come on. I like it."

"It looks lovely on you," Abbey agreed. "I'm just surprised. I took you back-to-school shopping in August and all you seemed to be interested in were jeans and tennis shoes."

"My tastes changed. So what?" She saw the cake on the counter. "Grandma, that's for me? Thank you!"

Mary opened her arms as Ellie jumped into them. "Nothing's too good for my favorite granddaughter."

"You said I was your favorite granddaughter!" Zoey pouted.

"I have three favorites," Mary told her.

"Way to cover your bases." Ellie's sweater fell slightly off her shoulder then. She fixed it, but not before Abbey caught a glimpse of what was underneath.

"Is that a bra strap?"

"Mom!" She lowered her voice and whispered, "You don't have to announce it to everyone!"

"Ellie got a bra?" Zoey had a mischievous glint in her eye.

"Shut up, Zoey!"

"Hey," Abbey interjected.

"She's making fun of me."

"Where did you get the bra?"

"Lacy's mom took us to the mall last week."

"When you were supposed to be studying?"

"After we studied. What's the big deal?"

"Nothing, you're just full of surprises." Abbey didn't admit that her feelings were hurt. When she offered to take Ellie to buy her first bra, she was outraged by the thought of needing one.

"Can I borrow your belt please?"

" 'May I' and it's in my closet."

"Thanks!"

She tore out of the room and Millie saw the forlorn expression on Abbey's face as she watched.

"Uh oh."

"What?"

"Last year, I came to you when Chloe was driving me crazy," Millie started. "You excused it as normal adolescent behavior. Sounds like someone needs to have her words repeated to her."

"That's not it," Abbey assured her. "Ellie's great. Straight-A student, involved in clubs, sports, she's even talking about student council. I couldn't be more proud of her."

"Then what's going on?"

"She's on the brink of those dreaded teen years. She's growing up...a little too fast."

"Maybe, but it's something more than that that's got you rattled. You've been on-edge all morning."

"No, I haven't."

"Yes, you have," Mary countered, picking up on the same thing Millie did. "Is something else going on with Ellie?"

"No, of course not. Ellie's a dream."

"Well, something is definitely troubling you. What is it? Is it Jed? Did you two have a fight?"

"Jed and I are fine."

"Then what? What's happened?"

"Lizzie's pregnant," Zoey informed them from the table.

"ZOEY!" Abbey could have shaken her. Her youngest daughter was never big on discretion, but she assumed Zoey would have known that this was too big to blurt out just like that.

"Was it a secret?" Zoey asked innocently.

Exasperated, Abbey replied, "Your grandfather's getting the wagon ready for the hay rides. Do me a favor and go help him."

She dodged Zoey's question, and for a second, she wondered why. But she knew the answer to that. A secret? Not exactly. She was just too embarrassed to tell her mother that Elizabeth was pregnant. She dreaded Mary's reaction after Zoey scampered off to help James. Mary wasn't the judgmental type, but for some reason, Abbey felt judged when something went wrong with the girls, especially now, when she found it hard not to judge herself. A daughter was a reflection of her mother, after all. Liz's mess was as much her responsibility as it was Liz's, she thought.

"Abbey?"

She took a deep breath, then turned to meet Mary's gaze. She said softly, "It's true."

"Pregnant?" That was Millie, as shell-shocked as Mary.

"She told us a few days ago."

"Doug's the father?"

"Yes," Abbey said, turning to Millie.

"When did it happen?" Mary prodded.

"She's two months along." Abbey went back to her apples, careful not to make eye contact with either one of them.

"What are you going to do?"

"What can I do? She's not a child anymore; she's an adult. All Jed and I can do is support her and love her."

"What does she say?"

"She wants to take a leave from school to have the baby. There's been talk of adoption, but no clear plan yet."

"Maybe Doug will marry her." Mary was an old-fashioned soul.

"Mom, that's the worst thing that could ever happen." Abbey looked up. "I don't want her getting married just because she's pregnant. It's the '80s. She has goals and dreams for herself and she can accomplish them without Doug."

"Yes, she can, but she can also accomplish them with Doug at her side. It's so much easier when you have a husband, someone to help you parent. Raising a child isn't easy."

"She has us. Jed and I can help her. In the meantime, she needs to go back to school, get her degree, and apply to law school. If she wants to get married, she can do it after that. Her education comes first."

"I know that's what you want for her, but what does she want for herself?"

"She used to want that very thing. Now she doesn't know what she wants."

"Maybe she does. The last time I talked to her, she was deeply in love with Doug. Have you asked her if she still loves him?" Abbey remained silent. "Where is she, in her room?"

"Leave it alone, Mom."

"Leave what alone?"

"She broke up with Doug."

"Why?" Mary persisted. "Did you ask her why?"

"Because they're not right for each other. He's not good for her."

"Are you sure that's why? I don't want to interfere..."

"Then don't." Abbey didn't mean to lose her patience, but Mary and Millie were right - she was on-edge. "I know you love Lizzie and you're just looking out for her, but breaking up with Doug was the smartest thing she's done in months. Please, when you talk to her, don't encourage her to call him."

"I won't." If Abbey felt that strongly about Doug, Mary wasn't about to doubt her maternal instincts. "But I would like to talk to her. I'd like to see how she's doing with all this."

"We shouldn't get into it today. It's Ellie's day. We should all just focus on that."

"Why can't we do both?" Mary reassured her daughter with a squeeze of her arm as she took off her apron and left the kitchen on a path toward the second floor.

Mary treasured her relationship with Liz. She was there in London when Liz was born, pacing the waiting room while Abbey was in labor and waiting for Jed to arrive at the hospital. She was there when the doctor told them that Abbey had delivered and she was there in the days after Liz's birth, helping Abbey care for the infant and adjust to being a new mother so far away from home. When Abbey began medical school back in the States three years later, Mary often babysat Liz during exam weeks. She enjoyed that private time with her eldest granddaughter. The bond they forged only grew stronger over the years and today, they were every bit as close as they were back then.

It was that closeness that tempted Liz to turn away from her grandmother when Mary knocked on her bedroom door and let herself in. Sitting on her bed, she directed her gaze out the window. Mary knew, there was no doubt about it. It was obvious in her expression when Liz first saw her. That expression, a mix of shock, concern, and disbelief, was nearly identical to the expression she saw in her parents' eyes when she told them. She couldn't bear to see how she'd disappointed yet another person she loved, so she looked away and hoped that Mary would leave.

But Mary didn't settle for being ignored. Instead, she sat down beside Liz.

"I don't want to talk about it," Liz pleaded with her.

"Okay," Mary agreed. "I just want you to know that I love you...and I always will."

Liz needed to hear those words. And when she did, she crumbled in her grandmother's arms.

* * *

"How is Jed taking it?" Downstairs, Millie was still stunned by the news.

"Not well," Abbey said sadly. "He hasn't talked about it."

"With Liz?"

"Or me...not since the night she told us."

"He's ignoring it?"

"Avoiding it is more like it."

"He can't do that for much longer. She'll start showing soon and people will start talking about it, asking him questions during press events."

The campaign. Abbey had already considered that. "They'll ask me too whenever I do an event for him. Can you believe it? I run a sex ed program and I had no idea that my own daughter was not only sexually active, but she was also pregnant."

"You can only know what Liz tells you." Millie wanted to console her, remembering how she felt when she found out her daughter Chloe had fallen in with the wrong crowd.

"It's just hard to come to terms with it. Jed says she's changed. In a way, I think he's right. I never would have guessed that she'd end up pregnant at such a young age."

"It happens with girls you'd least suspect."

"It wasn't supposed to happen with Liz. You brought up Chloe earlier. When you had problems with her, you asked Liz to talk to her, hang out with her in hopes of turning her around. Liz was the good influence. She always had been."

"And she still is, Abbey. One mistake doesn't take away from everything else."

The front door opened and shut and Abbey glanced out the entryway to see who it was.

"We're in here, Jed," she called out when she saw him.

"The pumpkins aren't done," he said.

"I thought we'd let the kids draw their own design and we'd all carve them later, like last year." She handed him an apple, which he refused. "What do think about giving Ellie her ski boots now?"

"Why not at the party?"

"She has a lot of other presents to open at the party, and her friends are so impressed that she's saving up to buy them with the money she's earned on her paper route that I thought we might want to surprise her with them in private and let her tell them she got them herself."

"Yeah, fine."

"So you think it's a good idea?"

"They're hers, Abbey. Give them to her now or later, I don't really care." He headed for the back door. "I'm going to set up outside."

Millie watched him leave and when he disappeared, she turned to Abbey. "Ouch."

"That's how he's been for days."

"With Liz too?"

"He and Liz don't talk. They've been skirting around each other all week. They've barely crossed paths."

"That doesn't sound like Jed." Anyone who knew Jed Bartlet knew that he hated conflict with his kids.

"Not the old Jed. Liz's news threw him for a loop."

"So what's the real problem, that she had sex outside of marriage, that she got pregnant, or that it was with Doug Westin?" Jed's dislike for Doug was also well-known, even outside the immediate family.

"All of the above."

"He's going to have to work through it."

"You're right, but it's more than just the obvious. He's disappointed about the pregnancy and there's no doubt he's angry that she wants to leave school, but what's really bothering him is that she didn't come to us right away. She didn't tell us about her troubles at school or the pregnancy. She shut us out completely."

"Looking at it from the outside in, I can't say I'm surprised. Come on, Abbey, what college freshman wants to come home from school and tell her devout Catholic parents that she's pregnant, oh and by the way, it's by a guy they already hate? Ideally, she would have told you, but can you really blame her for being scared?"

Logically, Millie was right. The problem was, she didn't understand what was happening inside Jed's head the way Abbey did. It wasn't fatherly disapproval of Liz's choices that had him so upset; it was his own insecurities resurfacing after years of building a rock-solid bond with his eldest child. Her secrecy stung him to his core and it was going to take time for the sting to subside.

* * *

"DADDY!"

Something always changed in Zoey when her father came home from work. Jed walked out to the backyard and Zoey's eyes lit up. She ran just as fast as her little feet could take her to jump into his arms and command his attention.

Jed lifted her up. She was getting too big for this, but he didn't dare tell her that. "How are you, sweetheart?"

"Mommy's mad at me," she told him, big green eyes drooping sadly.

"Why is she mad at you?"

Zoey whispered in his ear softly enough so that James couldn't hear, "I told Grandma Lizzie was pregnant." She said a little louder, "I didn't know it was a secret!"

Jed shifted his weight uncomfortably, looking to see if he could read James's expression. Did he know too? "It's not a secret, Zoey. And I'm sure Mom's not mad at you for that."

"She is!"

"I'll talk to her, okay? In the meantime, do me a favor and pick up your toys from the family room so Ellie's friends can drop off their sleeping bags when they get here?"

"Okay."

Jed set her down and Zoey scampered off to the house.

"Is everything okay?" James asked, noticing his son-in-law's awkward glance and uncomfortable swagger toward the wagon he was preparing for Ellie's hay rides.

"Fine," Jed answered unconvincingly. If Mary knew Liz was pregnant, James would know soon enough. But still, he hesitated.

"Abbey's upset about something." Jed gave a nod of acknowledgment. "Are you two having trouble?"

"No."

"I don't want to pry, Jed, but if I can help in any way..."

"We're not fighting. Abbey and I are fine." He lifted a hay bale to stuff into the wagon.

"Then what is it?"

"It's Elizabeth," Abbey said from behind them. She had come outside to tell Jed that Mary knew when she overheard the conversation.

"Lizzie?" James was alarmed. "Is she sick? Is it serious?"

"She's not sick, Dad." Abbey paused for a beat to allow Jed a chance to stop her. But he didn't. "She's pregnant."

"What?" His mouth dropped open.

"She told us the other night."

"How could she be...are you sure?"

"A doctor confirmed it. We're sure."

James transferred his gaze over to Jed. The younger man refused eye contact and James now understood why. "Is she upstairs?"

Abbey nodded. "Mom's talking to her."

"I'm going too," he said, headed toward the house.

As the door to the house closed behind him, Abbey kept her eyes on Jed. He hadn't even acknowledged her since she interrupted them. All he did was lift another hay bale. "You're not going to say anything?"

"What's there to say?"

"A lot more than what you're saying. Are you embarrassed that people know?"

He turned to face her then. "I just don't think we should be shouting it from the rooftop like it's something we're happy about."

"Who's shouting from the rooftop? I didn't want to tell anyone, not now. Not today. Zoey told Mom. Someone had to tell Dad and I preferred that he hear it from me." Jed started to walk away, but Abbey grabbed his arm to stop him. "When are we going to talk about this?"

"We've already talked about it."

"I mean the three of us - you, me, and Liz. We need to sit down and figure out what we're going to do."

"I'm not ready to have that conversation."

"When will you be ready?"

"I don't know," he snapped. "I just can't, Abbey. Not yet."

"She's going to Wellesley tomorrow to fill out the paperwork to drop her classes. You and I have to sign off on the financial aid."

"I'm not signing anything."

"Jed."

"She's 18, she can drop out if she wants to, but don't expect me to endorse it. You can sign. And while you're at it, tell her to get a job. Let her go out in the workforce for a year without a college degree. She'll be begging to go back to Wellesley!"

"You can't keep doing this."

"What?"

"This. You can't keep up this confrontational attitude. What's done is done. We need to figure out a way to deal with it...together."

"Don't you think I know that?"

"You have to talk to her. Once you do, you'll both feel better."

"I'm trying to get to that point, Abbey. I have so many questions, but every time I think about knocking on her door or pulling her aside when we pass each other in the hall, all I can do is wonder why. Why ask her all the things I want to ask when all she's going to do is lie to me anyway?"

"She's won't..."

"She already has! She's gotten very good at telling us what we want to hear. I used to be able to tell what she was feeling just by looking at her face. I look at her now and she's someone I don't even know."

"You don't look at her, Jed. You avoid her as much as possible."

"She avoids me too. I walk into the kitchen, she walks out. I come home from work and she locks herself in her room all night."

"Only because she doesn't know what to say to you. She feels just as awkward as you do. That doesn't mean she doesn't love you or want to talk to you."

"If she wants to talk, she knows she can come to me. She's always known that, but when things get rough, she conveniently forgets it. She'd rather go to Jack than me."

"You know that's not true. That's a bruised ego talking."

"You think that's all it is? Ego?"

Abbey saw Ellie approach behind Jed, who turned to follow her stare.

"Mom, can I borrow your rusty red lip gloss?" the birthday girl asked.

"No."

"Why?"

"You're too young for make-up."

"It's not make-up, it's lip gloss."

"Ellie, you know the rules. No make-up until you're 15 and that includes lip gloss."

"Please? My lips are really pale."

"Your lips are not pale. They're beautiful, just like the rest of you."

"You're just saying that because you're my mom."

"I'm saying it and I'm not your mom," Jed interjected.

"You're my dad. Same thing."

"Not exactly the same thing."

Ellie addressed Abbey again. "Can't I borrow the lip gloss? Please?"

"I said no."

"Dad?"

"What's with the sudden emphasis on primping?" Jed admired his middle daughter, so pretty in her blue outfit. But at the same time, she looked so different from what he was used to.

"It's not primping."

"You sure don't look like the Ellie of last year. You know, the girl who insisted that leggings and high-top sneakers were the height of fashion."

She shrugged. "I grew out of that. Most of the girls in junior high dress like this."

"I suspect that includes her new friend, Lacy," Abbey informed her husband.

Jed nodded. He'd already been through this with Liz. "Now I understand."

"It's not because of Lacy. I like the way I look in these clothes." Ellie reminded Abbey, "You and Lizzie dress up all the time."

"True, but that's because we like it, not because it's what everyone else is doing."

"And I'm dressed this way because I like it."

"Whatever the reason, you look great, Ellie." Jed smiled, his first smile of the day. It was like the mood completely changed between him and Abbey. It was Ellie's birthday and her presence forced them to shove their trouble with Liz onto the backburner.

"Thanks, but I'd look better if I could wear lip gloss."

"Tell you what," Abbey started with a compromise on her mind. "Drop the lip gloss and I'll give you one of your presents to open now."

She headed toward the house, knowing that Ellie would never turn down a gift. Smiling impishly, the 12-year-old turned to follow.

"Is it lip gloss?" she asked as she clicked her mother's heels.

"You're not that lucky."

* * *

That evening, the backyard was taken over by 7th graders. Most of them were Ellie's friends from elementary school, girls who Ellie hadn't seen in a while because they had been zoned for a different junior high. But among the guests was a girl who stood out in the crowd - eighth grader Lacy Nichols. Abbey had heard a lot about her, though she'd never met her. It occurred to her now how strange that was. In the past, Ellie had always brought her friends over, but for some reason, when she and Lacy made after-school plans, it was Ellie who boarded Lacy's bus to follow her home.

Abbey watched the girls interact with subtle concern. Lacy was nothing like the others. In a red mesh top over a black tank, a black miniskirt, and high heels, she looked to be 13 going on 21. Her hair had been crimped and teased into a side ponytail and she had enough make-up on to star in her own punk rock video. The perfect example of a young girl with a baby face trying so desperately to catapult herself to adulthood. Abbey might have overlooked it if it had been just a wardrobe issue, but she overheard them talking and listened from a distance as Lacy bragged about her defiance of her mother's rules at home. She threw in a couple of curse words for good measure and it was easy to see she had everyone's attention, including Ellie's.

Abbey tore herself away from the scene and gathered some used paper plates to toss into the trash.

"There's something strange going on," she said to her sister Kate as she joined her in the kitchen.

"In what way?"

"Don't tell me you haven't noticed how Ellie's been glued to Lacy all night."

"They're best friends. That's what best friends do at this age."

"I wouldn't go that far. Ellie hangs out with her, but Wendy's still her best friend."

"Hate to break the news sis, but Ellie has more than one best friend." Kate chuckled, unaware of how much it disturbed Abbey. "Lacy gave her one of those best friend necklaces when Jed was grilling."

"The ones with the heart split in half?"

"Yeah, but it's a four-way. Two other girls are part of the group. Nicole and..."

"Celia. Ellie talks about them all the time. They're not here yet."

"You don't approve?"

"Look at Lacy and ask me that question again."

"You know what they say about judging a book by its cover. So she's a bit of a show-off and a little outlandish..."

"A little?" Abbey questioned. "She's desperate for attention."

"I'll give you that. She's one of those girls who's used to hogging the spotlight."

"That's an understatement."

"I'm sure she's a lovely girl on the inside. Otherwise, why would Ellie give her the time of day?"

"That's what I keep asking myself."

Mary walked in then. "Should I prepare the cake?"

"They're not finished eating."

"And some of us haven't even started," Kate said, a jar of mayonnaise in her hand.

"The girls don't need mayonnaise," Mary replied.

"It's not for the girls, it's for Jed," Abbey told her. Jed couldn't eat anything without mayo on it.

"And Bob." Kate shook her head, disapprovingly. "Your husband is not a good influence, Abbey."

"Tell Bob to quit being a follower," Abbey teased.

"I'm sure that'll go over well," Kate called out behind her as she left the kitchen.

Mary grabbed the cake from the fridge while Abbey pulled out a book of matches from the drawer.

"So Mom, how old was I when I outgrew slumber parties?"

Mary glanced at her older daughter. "Did you ever outgrow slumber parties?"

"Very funny." It was true, Abbey had to admit. She still had slumber parties with her girls now and then.

"Cherish these times, Abigail. They grow up way too fast."

"Tell me about it," Abbey said. "Thanks for getting Lizzie to come down and enjoy the party."

"It wasn't difficult. She'd do anything for Ellie." Mary donned a more serious look suddenly. "She's having a hard time, Abbey."

"I know."

"I asked her to come to Boston with me."

"What?"

"She can move in with me and your father for as long as she wants."

"Mom, I asked you to stay out of it." Her interference annoyed Abbey.

"You asked me not to encourage her to call Doug, and I didn't. But things are tense around here and the stress isn't good for her or the baby."

"Things are tense because it just happened. Jed and I have had less than a week to deal with this."

"In the meantime, your daughter is struggling just as much as you are." Mary never intended to upset her. All she wanted was to comfort her granddaughter. "I'm sorry if I overstepped the bounds here, but things are rough and you and Jed are so busy right now..."

"A dig about my job?"

"It's not a dig. Where did that come from?"

From Abbey's own insecurities. "Forget it."

"Abbey?"

"I know you're trying to help, but encouraging her to move out isn't the way to do it."

"Then what can I do?"

"Nothing, just let me handle it."

Mary was startled by her defensiveness. After several seconds, she conceded, "If that's what you want..."

"It is."

"Done," she replied, cutting the exchange short when the phone rang.

Abbey rushed to answer it. "Hello?"

The response she got came from a voice she never expected - Doug. She recognized it in a heartbeat, and anger she'd been suppressing instantly bubbled up inside her, anger not only directed at him, but at Liz too, for getting themselves into this mess. What did he want now, she wondered. To get back together with Liz? To ask about the baby? It didn't matter. Whatever he wanted, she didn't care. He was already gone from their lives and as far as Abbey was concerned, breaking up with him was the best decision Liz had made in months. Impulsively, she hung up the phone without uttering a word.

"Who was it?"

"Wrong number," she said, weaving through a wave of guilt for hanging up without calling for Liz. Doug was a jerk, he'd gotten Liz pregnant, and it was because of him that the whole family was in turmoil. But the baby Liz was carrying was his baby too and it wasn't up to Abbey to dictate what happened next. Her response was a testament to the stress she was under, and for the first time, she acknowledged that maybe she was in over her head.

"Let me know when you want to do the cake." Mary turned to leave, but Abbey stopped her.

"I didn't mean to snap at you."

"It's okay."

"No, it's not," she said, ready to stop hiding her true feelings. "I've been snapping at you all day. The truth is, it's not you I'm mad at. It's me...and Liz...and Jed. I don't know what to do. Liz is a wreck. Jed is too. He's not making this any easier. And I'm trying to keep things together, but it's just so overwhelming sometimes. I don't know if I can do it."

Mary saw the unshed tears shining in Abbey's eyes. She took her hand in hers, threading their fingers. "Those are the times when you ask for help. Your family doesn't end with Jed and the girls. Your dad and I are here for you too."

Deep down, Abbey already knew that. But she appreciated the reminder. "I need you to tell me what to do. I have no idea how to fix things."

"Things can't always be fixed, sweetheart. Sometimes, they just have to run their course."

Mary wrapped her up in her arms, comforting her by stroking her back the same way Abbey always did with Liz. She then released a silent prayer from her lips that soon, the Bartlet family would be at peace again.

TBC


	26. Chapter 26

Series: Snapshots of the Past

Story: The Candidate's Daughter

Chapter 26

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Previously: Abbey's parents learned of Liz's pregnancy and Abbey's mother told Liz she could live move in with her if things got too rough at home; Abbey was concerned about Ellie's new friends; Abbey expressed her anger about Liz's situation and shared her doubts with her mother

Summary: Ellie gets herself in trouble; Jed makes amends with Liz

Author's Note: First off, this chapter is REALLY long. My college thesis was shorter than this chapter. lol. While writing it, I thought it would be wrong to split it up, but I didn't realize how long it had gotten until now and I'd have to re-write some of it to split it up now. Next time, I'll split it up much sooner. Second, sorry for the delay. I struggled long and hard with this chapter, trying to make it a realistic characterization of the situation and how I think the characters would behave, all while hoping they don't come across unlikeable. It's a fine line. Everyone's human and it's an emotional issue. This is the most difficult story I've written, so the chapters are taking me a lot longer to write. Thanks for your patience guys!

* * *

"What do you think?"

Ellie twirled around herself in the kitchen of the Bartlet farmhouse on a chilly October morning, dressed in a peacock blue ski jacket and matching pants her grandparents had surprised her with for her birthday. She had on a pair of wool-lined ski gloves that Liz given her and a snowflake ski hat that Zoey bought her. But the gem of the ensemble was on her feet - a pair of brand new, top-of-the-line ski boots, a gift from Jed and Abbey. She showed them off to her parents, the excitement shining in her blue-green eyes and her radiant smile.

"You're going to be the best-dressed skier at your school!" Jed beamed with confidence.

"A trend-setter," Abbey added as she handed her the permission slip she'd just signed.

"You think so?"

"I do. And you better take care of those boots. You're not getting another pair until you're 25."

"I'll pay for the next pair myself," Ellie offered.

"I'll take that deal. What time are tryouts?"

"They're not until November."

"You told me the permission slip was due today."

"It is, but that's not for ski team tryouts."

"What did I just sign?"

"Mom, you never READ permission slips."

"That's because you girls always give them to me the morning they're due."

"You're still not supposed to sign anything without reading it."

"Save the lecture, Miss Smarty Pants. I trust you to tell me the truth about what I'm signing when you hand it to me at the last minute."

"I did tell you the truth."

"You said it was for ski team."

"No, I said ski club. We sign up for ski club in October so we can start fundraising. We'll get the permission slip for ski team in a few weeks."

"And then you'll wait until the morning it's due to give it to me." Abbey sighed.

"I kind of like ambushing you with it at the last minute," Ellie teased.

"What do you want to do, Ellie? Alpine or Nordic?" Jed asked, changing the subject.

"I'm still deciding."

"Nordic," Abbey suggested. "I never treated any cross-country skiers in the ER."

"Maybe they went to a different ER," Ellie quipped with a grin.

"Don't put those thoughts in her head or she'll try like hell to get you to focus your attention on other activities." Jed remembered Abbey's anxiety when it came to Lizzie's gymnastics in elementary school and cheerleading in high school.

"Like you'd complain if she had a change of heart and decided to join the chess club instead."

"Chess club?" Ellie grimaced.

"Yeah, what about it?" Jed challenged his daughter. "I'll have you know, I was president of the chess club in junior high. There are far worse things..."

He trailed off when Zoey ran in.

"Mommy, Lizzie's sick!"

Jed and Abbey both rushed out of the kitchen and mounted the stairs at the same time. Abbey edged past her husband as they rounded the corner on the top landing toward the bathroom. She raced in to see Liz sitting on the floor, her face flushed and her lips curved into a miserable frown. Abbey knelt down in front of her, brushed her hair out of her face, then pressed the back of her hand to Liz's forehead, encouraged by the cool feel of her skin.

"Does anything hurt?" she asked. Liz shook her head and Abbey gave Jed the all-clear. "It's just morning sickness."

A relieved Jed hung back. He watched Abbey help Liz up and escort her to her room with Ellie and Zoey right behind them. Fading into the background, he disappeared then, down the steps and back to the kitchen, where he grabbed a saucepan and filled it with water. It was an old habit. Whenever one of the girls was sick, Abbey stayed with them while Jed ran to the pharmacy to fill a prescription or downstairs to whip up a home remedy. He did it without even thinking...until the water began boiling and he remembered to reach for the ginger. That's when it hit him that this home remedy wasn't for a stomach ache or one of those common childhood bugs. This was for morning sickness. Lizzie, his sweet little girl, had morning sickness. It just felt wrong. But he didn't have time to dwell on that. He took a deep breath and pushed his feelings aside to concentrate on the task on-hand. Abbey swore by ginger tea for morning sickness. It helped her through all three pregnancies, and Jed hoped it would offer Liz some relief as well.

Upstairs, Liz curled up under the covers as Abbey sat on the edge of her bed.

"When is it supposed to stop?" she asked her mother.

"It's usually worse early in the pregnancy, but there's no way to know when it'll go away. For most women, it's gone by the end of the first trimester."

"I can't stand it."

"Does it happen everyday?"

Liz nodded, still nauseated. "Most days."

"You've been home a week. Why didn't you tell me?"

"You were always at work when I woke up. I didn't want to call and bother you."

"You're not a bother, Lizzie. When you're sick, I want to know about it."

"I just wish it would go away. It's even worse today than it was yesterday."

"I'm taking you to your doctor's appointment in a few days. In the meantime, I can write you a script for Zofran. It's an anti-nausea medication. It'll help."

"Not if it'll hurt the baby," she insisted with concern for the child she was carrying.

"It won't. It's perfectly safe. A lot of pregnant women take it."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive." Abbey tucked Liz's hair behind her ear and looked her in the eye. "But I need to know, besides the prenatal vitamins I gave you, are you taking anything else?"

Liz was quick to answer, remembering exactly why her mother asked that question. She'd kept quiet once before, when Abbey prescribed antibiotics and Liz didn't tell her she was on birth control pills. She wasn't going to make that mistake again. "No, I swear I'm not."

"Okay."

Jed appeared at the doorway then. "House call."

He carried a tray topped with a small silver kettle, a steamy mug of tea, and some Saltine crackers over to the nightstand. He set it down and handed Liz the mug.

"What is it?" Liz took a sip.

"Ginger tea. It always helped your mom when she was pregnant."

She looked over at Abbey. "You had morning sickness?"

"Yeah. It was awful."

"Even with me?"

"Especially with you," Abbey nudged her teasingly.

"And you still wanted more kids?"

She chuckled. "I hate to break it to you, baby doll, but morning sickness isn't the worst part of being pregnant."

"What is the worst part?" Ellie asked from across the room.

"The pain," Liz told her. "The pain's going to be unbearable."

"I thought you were going to say the weight gain and not fitting into your clothes."

"Well, I'm not happy about that either, but a little perspective, Ellie. Would you rather not fit into your clothes for a few months or experience the pain of being split in two?"

Zoey's crinkled forehead gave away her confusion before she opened her mouth to ask, "Why does it hurt?"

"Don't you know where babies come out of, Zo?" Ellie had learned all about childbirth when Zoey was born.

"Mommy's tummy."

"That's where they grow. Where do they come out?"

"Mommy's tummy!" she repeated, more strongly this time in case she'd been misunderstood.

Ellie couldn't help but giggle. "You have a lot to learn."

Jed, meanwhile, had never felt more disconnected from his family. He stood silently in the corner, then ducked out the door, the heavy sound of his footsteps giving him away and bringing the conversation to a halt.

Abbey chased after him, out into the hall and back downstairs. "Jed?"

He turned to her after he reached the bottom landing. "This is where we're at? Everyone casually discussing the ins and outs of teenage pregnancy? Laughing about it like it's a joke?"

"No one thinks it's a joke. The girls were just talking."

"It's not something to be proud of."

"A little chatter suddenly means we're proud of it?" Abbey challenged.

"Elizabeth is pregnant and everyone acts like the morning sickness, the weight gain, and the pain is all that's wrong with it, as if those are the only problems Liz is facing! Is that the message you want Ellie and Zoey to take away from this?"

"You're blowing an innocent conversation way out of proportion."

"And you're a little too relaxed about the whole thing."

"Why do we have to be in crisis mode all the time? I'm sorry, but I can't summon the energy it takes to work myself into a frenzy when there are things that need to get done. There comes a point when you have to accept what's happened and deal with it!"

"I'm not there yet."

He was stating the obvious, Abbey thought. Even Zoey could see that Jed wasn't ready to move into the acceptance phase of the situation. It wasn't that he didn't want to. He'd prayed about it, sought counsel from Father Matthew Sullivan, the Bartlets' priest in Manchester, he'd even gone to confession last night. But no matter what he did, it was useless. Conflicting emotions raged inside him. He wanted to reach out to Liz, the way he knew he should, but the hurt and anger made it difficult to express his thoughts rationally. He knew it would corrupt any exchange he had with her, so he kept it to himself. Most of it anyway. His struggle was private, but he couldn't hide the toll it took on him, not from Liz and especially not from Abbey.

"Why won't you lean on me?"

"I'm fine."

"No, you're not, Jed. It's plain to see you're not. Why won't you talk to me about it?"

"We're in different places right now, Abbey. You seem to have adjusted already."

"I've tried to, but I haven't, not entirely."

"You're making more progress than I am."

"Is that why you're closing yourself off? I'm dealing with it better, so you don't want to open up and tell me what you're feeling? You think that because you're the man, it's your responsibility to get through this on your own, without burdening me."

"Can we not do this now?"

'Or ever' is what he really meant, Abbey thought. She glanced at her watch and headed to the kitchen to retrieve her bag and prescription pad. "I'm late for work. I'm going to write Liz a script for Zofran. Can you ask Mrs. Wilburforce to have it filled?"

"I'll do it myself."

"Don't you have an event this morning?"

"I'll make it," he said. "Does she need me to stay home with her? I can rearrange things if she's really sick."

"She'll be fine. Once she gets the medication, she'll probably go back to sleep." Abbey scratched her name on the script and handed it to him. "I'll see you tonight."

"Will you be home for dinner?"

"Alex and I are submitting our proposal tomorrow. We need to work on it."

"Again?"

"The AMA meeting is next month. You know how important this is."

"Top priority," he grumbled. "Alex sees you more than I do these days."

"That's not my fault. You've put in a lot of late nights yourself."

"I'm running a campaign. It can't be helped."

"And neither can this." Wanting to end it there before the start of an argument, she kissed him lightly on the lips. "I'm going to say goodbye to the girls."

Jed watched her climb the stairs, then snatched his keys off the console and left for the pharmacy.

* * *

Life in the seventh grade was better for Ellie now that she had her own clique. She always hated that word because of what it implied. Cliques were supposed to snobbish and exclusive. But she quickly learned that in junior high, the word "clique" referred loosely to any group of friends, whether or not they closed themselves off from others. Ellie was proud to belong to one, and although she wasn't the snobby type, the girls she hung around made it clear they were a tight-knit circle with no room for outsiders to join the pack. Lacy, Nicole, and Celia were a grade ahead of her. They were wild and rebellious, different than all the friends she'd had in the past. 'A sorority,' they called themselves. It sounded cool, more grown up than they actually were. That's what intrigued Ellie.

She sat at the lunch table with them that day, watching Lacy apply her pearly pink lip gloss, coat her hair with a few sprays of her pocket-sized spritz, and scrunch her waves to get that crinkled look that had recently graced the cover of fashion magazines. They talked about their classes, gossiped about boys, and traded schedules to carve out time for Ellie to tutor Lacy in math. Ellie was the brain of the group, the one who managed straight A's and was labeled by others in her grade as teacher's pet in every class. She didn't brown-nose. She was just a polite, well-liked girl who always did her homework and always came prepared. Teachers raved about her. Administrators too. Inside the four walls of her school, people knew her as smart and predictable. Sometimes, she liked that reputation. Other times, she felt like her peers saw her as a nerd, a geek who didn't have a life outside of school. She wanted to feel part of the in-crowd and with Lacy, Nicole, and Celia, she did.

"I didn't finish my essay. I can't face History today," Lacy complained as the bell rang signaling the end of lunch.

"Cumberland Farms?" Celia suggested.

"Dunkin' Donuts," Lacy said instead.

"You guys skip History a lot," Ellie observed.

"History blows." Lacy looked her up and down. "It would probably do you some good to get out of here now and then."

"I don't skip."

"Yeah, but have you ever?"

"No." Ellie never dreamed of skipping class. She felt guilty staying home for the flu.

"You have no idea what you're missing out on."

"A lecture from my dad and a week's grounding? I don't think so."

"Like you're dad's ever gonna find out," Lacy laughed. "Come with us today. Take a chance, do something out of the ordinary, something unplanned and fun. I promise, you'll thank me later."

"Seriously, get your halo dusty for once. Don't you ever get sick of being a goody-two-shoes?" Nicole's question was more of a criticism than an inquiry and though she tried not to show it, it hurt Ellie's feelings.

"I'm not a goody-two-shoes. It's just that...I have English now, and I like that class."

"More than chocolate frosted donuts?" Lacy enticed her. She flashed a five-dollar bill. "My treat."

"I can't."

"Oh, come on!" Celia got frustrated.

"Leave her alone, Cel. She's too good to be corrupted." Lacy seemed to be more understanding. "Want us to bring you back anything?"

"No, thanks."

"Okay. I'll meet you after seventh period then."

The three girls linked arms and walked off, leaving Ellie behind. This happened most days, but today, it bothered Ellie a lot. Usually strong enough to ward off peer pressure, she couldn't stand feeling left out and believing her new friends thought less of her because she refused to do something a little risky. A burst of impulse bubbled up inside her and instead of squashing it down, as she had in the past, Ellie succumbed to it. She nervously checked to make sure no one was prowling around to catch her, then shoved open the double glass doors and ran toward her friends.

"Wait up, guys!"

* * *

It was an easy day for the staffers at Bartlet for Congress. They'd arranged a few morning events on the campaign trail, but Jed had canceled all of them without explanation. Instead, he planned to spend the day catching up on work he'd been neglecting, like correspondence from his Washington office and constituent letters that sat in a pile on the corner of his desk. He'd asked Mrs. Landingham for no interruptions unless it was about Abbey or one of the girls, but knowing that didn't keep Jack from tapping on his door and opening it to poke his head in.

"You canceled your morning schedule?" he asked.

"I have work to do," Jed replied.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but part of your work involves campaigning."

"It's taken too much of my time lately."

"Bull. Two years ago, you lived and breathed the campaign 24 hours a day."

"It's a new election."

"Yeah, and you're going to mess it up if you don't start showing your face. We're low on funds."

"You're the finance guru; figure out a way to bring in more money."

"I have," Jack insisted. "You've nixed every one of my fundraising ideas and now you're a no-show out in the community. How do you think we're going to convince people to donate if you they don't see you out there working for them?"

"If they want to see me working for them, set up a camera in my office where the REAL work happens. When I'm out in the community, all I'm doing is shaking hands and making small talk."

"That goes with the territory and you know it. Come on Jed, what's going on? Are you afraid to go out there? Are you worried that they know about Elizabeth?"

"Leave Elizabeth out of it!" He aimed an angry stare at his brother.

"She's part of it." Jack went on, despite the look Jed shot him. "It's been a week. Like it or not, you have to tell your staff she's pregnant. If someone finds out and calls here for a comment - and they will, eventually - you can't have whoever answers the phone caught off-guard by this."

"My daughter's private life is none of anyone's business." His staffers knew a sure-fire way to ignite Jed's temper was to exploit one of his girls. And if the public didn't already know it, they'd find out if they dared to use Liz's predicament for political points.

"You're right, which is how you have to handle it. Admit it and tell people to back off. Staying silent and hoping no one notices isn't the way to play this. When it comes out, they'll think you intentionally hid it, as if you thought it would hurt you in the election."

"It has nothing to do with the election! It's not Liz's fault that I have enemies who'll use her to get to me. I'm not going to throw her to those vultures!"

"I'm not suggesting you should."

"No?"

"No. I'm saying you have to strategize here. You have to get out ahead of the game. If you hold your head down, they'll think you're ashamed of her, and there's no better motivation for someone to leak it to the press than that." When Jed didn't respond, Jack took a seat in front of him. "ARE you ashamed of her?"

"That's a stupid question."

"Why?"

"She's my child."

"I know you love her. The whole world knows you love her. But you can love her and be ashamed of what she did at the same time."

"I'm not ashamed of my daughter. Do I wish she wasn't pregnant? Yes, of course."

"Because she's not married?"

"Because she's 18!" Jed barked. "She's a kid. She doesn't know the first thing about motherhood! She thinks it's like some movie, glamorous and exciting. She has no clue."

"Have you actually talked to her about it? Because I have and I assure you, she doesn't think it's exciting or glamorous. Not the least bit. She's very upset about it. Almost inconsolable."

"You managed to console her," Jed sniped, returning his attention back to the letters on his desk.

"How long are you going to milk that?" Jack stood, intending to leave, but he circled around and asked, "You haven't even bothered to get her side of things, have you?"

"I have work to do."

"Because you like to avoid these conversations."

"I'm not in the mood for a psych analysis, Jack."

"Then answer my question. Have you talked to Elizabeth since she told you she was pregnant?"

"That's none of your business."

"Which means no."

"Did you hear me say I have work to do?"

"I heard you."

"Then why are you still here?"

"I'm waiting for you to let go of your anger long enough to talk to me. You brushed me off last week, you ignored me at Ellie's birthday..."

"I didn't ignore you. It was Ellie's day. I didn't want to soil it with this crap. And I'll tell you, you have a hell of a lot of nerve, demanding we talk when you want to talk. Where were you a few weeks ago? Why didn't you tell me what my daughter was going through?"

"She asked me..."

"She asked you not to, I already heard this line."

"It's the truth! Liz needed someone. If you had seen her that day...she was depressed and crying, as if her whole life had just fallen apart around her. So yes, I comforted her, and when she asked me not to tell you until she figured out a way to do it herself, I respected her wishes. If you want to hate me for that, go right ahead, but you would have done the exact same thing for Brad."

Jed pretended not to listen, but he hung on every word. His bruised ego aside, he was grateful to Jack for being there for Liz. "I don't hate you. I just don't understand. I'm her father. Why am I the last to know?"

"Because your opinion means the world to her and she needed time to break the news. She wanted to do it right."

"Right? She blurted it out during an argument about college."

"She didn't mean to. She had planned to wait until she could sit down with you and Abbey and explain what happened."

"That plan went to hell." Jed stood up and stuffed his hands in his pockets, taking a moment to calm himself. "You want to talk?"

"It's what I've been wanting for a week."

"Tell me why she broke up with Doug."

"Of all the things you could ask me, that's what you want to know?"

"It doesn't make sense after all the time she spent defending their relationship. Did he cheat on her? Did he hurt her?"

"No," Jack answered. "I know you don't want to hear this, but from what I've seen between Liz and Doug, I think he genuinely loves her."

"Spare me. I spent all summer hearing how much she loves him and how much he loves her. If that's the case, then why did she break up with him?"

"Because he wanted her to have an abortion."

"He what?" Jed squinted his eyes at that.

"He flipped out at the prospect of becoming a father. He didn't think they were ready to have a child, so he asked her to have an abortion."

He nodded with understanding and, for the first time in days, pride in his daughter. "And she refused."

"Not at first," Jack said gently. "She agreed to it. They went to a clinic in Boston. But when they got there and Liz flipped through some of the pamphlets, she had a change of heart. She couldn't go through with it."

"But she considered it?"

"Put it in perspective. She's a kid, you said so yourself. She was scared."

"I'm so sick of that word! If she was so scared, she could have come to me!"

"Who do you think she was scared of?"

"Why the hell would she be scared of me? What have I ever done but love her, and clothe her, and feed her, and care for her? She had no reason to be scared of me."

"Maybe to you she had no reason, but think of it from Liz's point of view. You're not exactly reasonable when it comes to Doug."

"I'm always reasonable when it comes to Elizabeth and that's what should matter! I never hurt her. I never put my hands on her unless it was to hug her or kiss her or comfort her. I always gave her my unconditional love. Not a day went by that I didn't tell her I love her, even when she was mad at me for this or that. I wanted her to know that I'm the last person in the world that she should ever fear. I didn't want her to ever be afraid to tell me anything. I wanted the kind of relationship with her that..."

"That you never had with Dad." It all made sense to Jack. After all, he lived in that house too and like Jed, he, too, was a father now. "I know. But you have to stop drawing that parallel. Even though she didn't come to you, this isn't like you and Dad. The fear she had in her heart isn't the fear you and I had in ours."

"Fear is fear," Jed believed.

"No, it's not. When you and I hid things from Dad it was because we didn't want to be beaten. That's not the fear that Liz felt."

"Regardless, she should have known I would have helped her through it."

"Yeah, I'm sure you would have been understanding right from the start." Sarcasm ran in the family.

"I would have been," Jed insisted. And in his heart, he really believed it.

"No father would. Don't kid yourself. Most fathers would have reacted just like you did and that's not an easy thing to face."

"I'm not most fathers. I would have shown her a little compassion."

"Like you are now? I'll risk your wrath, Jed, but I have to be honest, this reaction is exactly the reaction that Liz dreaded. She worried that you'd be disappointed, angry, judgmental, that you'd give her the silent treatment. You can convince yourself that you would have reacted differently if you'd been in the loop from the beginning, but you wouldn't have."

"I guess we'll never know since I wasn't given the chance."

Mrs. Landingham knocked then and Jed welcomed the interruption.

"Congressman," she called. "Ellie's principal is on the phone."

* * *

Ellie Bartlet rarely broke the rules. When she did, her conscience drove her crazy. They kept her up nights, the voices of her better angels reminding her that she was a play-it-by-the-book girl. Inevitably, her guilt would get the best of her and she'd confess, usually to her parents, and then she'd prepare herself to face the consequences for whatever she did wrong. But as bad it was to admit her transgressions, it was nothing compared to getting caught.

The school's resource officer caught the girls red-handed as they returned from the Dunkin' Donuts a block away. The four of them were sent to the principal's office and individually, their parents were called. Ellie would never forget Jed's face when he arrived at the school, disappointment written all over his features. It was enough to make her cry even more than she already had. Jed apologized to the principal, took his daughter by the hand, and led her out of the building in silence. His car was parked in the bus circle. Ellie jumped in the back, curled up against the door, sniffling as she wiped at her eyes. She hated hurting her father, but all the apologies in the world weren't going to keep him from delivering the lecture she knew was coming. She'd cut class and worse than that, she'd left school without telling anyone and walked to Dunkin' Donuts with her friends. She'd earned herself a week's detention and a warning that could easily turn into a suspension if she ever did such a thing again. Jed had to be livid, she thought, and there was nothing she could do to change that. So, she remained quiet and stared out the window, surprised when he drove them back to the farmhouse and didn't utter a word.

He parked out front and followed her into the house. His only instruction came seconds after he closed the door. "Go upstairs and start your homework."

That was it? What about a lecture? What about punishment? Regardless, she did as he said. No complaints. No pleading for an after-school snack or a little television before hitting the books. Her eyes red and swollen, she lugged her backpack up to her room, passing Liz along the way.

"What happened to you?" the older girl asked.

"I messed up," Ellie cried softly.

Liz continued downstairs when her sister disappeared behind her bedroom door. She paused for a minute when she saw Jed in the foyer and even thought about turning around, but their interaction that morning gave her a little hope.

"What happened with Ellie?"

"Never mind," he said. "Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah. The medication really helped." She joined him in the foyer and picked up a packet that she'd left on the console by the front door. "I was gonna wait for Mom, but would you mind signing this for me?"

Jed opened it to find her financial aid papers from Wellesley, part of her exit interview and the paperwork necessary should she go back in the future. He skimmed the policy on dropping classes mid-semester and how it affected that year's tuition, then turned the page to see the bold print on the process of returning to school. Hoops, that's all he saw. One hoop after another that she'd have to jump through just to be reinstated in a school she'd already worked hard to attend.

"Why do you need time off? Why can't you go to school and finish the semester at least?" He tried to reason with her.

"I've already missed too much. I'm so behind..."

"I'll help you."

"All the help in the world isn't going to pull me through, not now. I have too much on my mind."

"Then drop the semester, fine, but go back in January."

"I don't WANT to go back," Liz explained. "Why can't you understand that?"

"Because you're being naive!" He tried not to lose his temper, but her stubbornness was so frustrating. "You can't do anything without a college degree these days, Elizabeth. You have to finish school."

"Maybe I will, but not now. Right now, I just want to concentrate on the baby."

"Your mother finished medical school when she was pregnant with Ellie."

"I'm not Mom! I can't do everything the way she did. I wanna do it my own way. Why won't you support me?"

"Because you have an opportunity that most kids only dream about and you're throwing it all away."

"It's my opportunity to do with what I want. College was right for you. You went right after high school and you loved it. It was the best four years of your life, I get it. Why can't you entertain the thought that it was a nightmare for me? Why won't you believe me when I say that?"

"You never even gave it a chance."

"Yes, I did. You weren't there to see how horrible it was!"

"No, I was on the phone, hearing how wonderful things were! How would I know how horrible it was when all you ever did was feed me lies?" He stopped himself right there. He'd upset both her and himself and he couldn't stand to go on. "I can't sign this."

"You signed the tuition check. They want to know that you understand the refund policy."

"I don't give a damn about the refund policy."

"The business office needs your signature."

"Your mom will be home later. Ask her."

"You're never going to forgive me, are you? You don't even care that I threw away everything I was taught in Church. You don't care that I had pre-marital sex. You don't care that I slept with Doug. All you care about is that I lied to you and you're never going to get over that."

"That's not all I care about. I care that you were sleeping with your boyfriend all summer..."

"Because you didn't think I was that kind of girl, right?"

Was she baiting him, he wondered. She wanted him to say something cruel in the heat of the moment that would validate what she thought he was thinking. He steered the exchange in a different direction. "Lying matters. And the fact that you don't get that tells me a lot."

"Right, so I'm nothing but a liar now." She turned her back to him and started up the stairs."

"I didn't say that!"

"You never say anything!"

"Because I don't know what to say to you!" he shouted as she hit the top landing and stormed out of sight.

Jed waited to see if she'd return, but she never did. Upset, angry, and frustrated, he slammed the door and charged toward his car. He dug his keys into the ignition and peeled out of the driveway.

* * *

"What the hell were you thinking?" Abbey scolded Ellie later that evening.

She'd come home from work, stunned when Jed shared the news and even more stunned when she found out that he hadn't done anything about it. He'd told Ellie to start her homework and that was the end of it. He hadn't grounded her. He hadn't even taken away privileges. Abbey arrived to see Ellie sitting in the family room, watching television with Zoey. Infuriated, she ordered Ellie upstairs to the master bedroom.

"I asked you a question."

"I don't know," Ellie said as she stood against the wall of her parents' room, wishing there was some way to push herself through and avoid this whole thing. It was bad enough disappointing her father. Her mother was the one she was really close to. It was even worse disappointing her.

"That's not an answer."

"I don't have an answer. I just did it. I didn't think about it."

"You not only skipped school, you left campus without any adult's permission! No one even knew where you were! Do you have any idea what could have happened?

"Nothing happened."

"Have you done this before?"

"No."

"Why should I believe you?"

"You can call the school and ask."

"Believe me, I will. From now on, I will call the school every single day if I have to. I want attendance records sent to my office, along with progress notes from your teachers."

"Why? I always bring my tests and report cards home."

"How do I know that? Maybe you bring home what you want me to see. You might have a whole slew of tests and teachers' notes hidden in your locker."

"I don't."

"Abbey, come on." Jed nudged her, trying to calm her down, but it was a futile effort. Abbey was angrier at Ellie than she'd been in a very long time.

Keeping her gaze on her middle daughter, she continued, "I never would have guessed that you'd pull a stunt like this. I don't want you hanging around with these girls anymore."

That drew anger out of Ellie. "But they're my friends! They're the only friends I have!"

"Don't give me that! This house was full of your friends the other night!"

"Those other girls are from elementary school! They aren't in any of my classes! Some of them don't even go to my school!"

"I don't care. I'll say it one more time. I don't want you hanging around Lacy, Celia, and Nicole ever again. If you do, you're going to be in big trouble. Is that understood?" No response. "Answer me."

"Yes," Ellie managed quietly.

"And you're grounded. No TV, no phone, no stereo, no going out of the house. You're to come straight home from school and go your room."

Jed shook his head at that. Grounding her from leaving the house was one thing. Keeping her locked in her room was overkill, he felt. He sat on the edge of the bed, trying hard to bite his tongue.

"For how long?" Ellie asked.

"Until further notice."

"What does that mean?"

"I don't know, maybe Christmas."

"But it's October!"

"Maybe longer. Depends how long it takes me to trust you again."

"Abbey." Jed stood, but Abbey ignored him.

"I'm gonna miss ski team tryouts," Ellie pleaded with her.

"You should have thought about that before you took off with your friends this afternoon," Abbey said, unapologetically. "Go get ready for bed."

Ellie jerked herself around and left the room, furious with her mother.

Once she was gone, Abbey turned on her husband. "Thanks for your help."

"You did a pretty good job of reading her the riot act," Jed returned. "What did you want from me?"

"How about some support?"

"I don't agree with the way you handled it. She walked out of here knowing one thing - that you're mad at her. She doesn't know why what she did was so wrong."

"Trust me, she knows. She knew it before she did it, but she went along because this is what she does now, thanks to those girls."

"And your response is to lock her in her room like a prisoner for the next two months?"

"I'm sending a message."

"That's not a message. You were mad at her and you punished her out of anger."

"Something you've never done?"

"Whenever I have, you've called me on it. You always tell me to calm myself down before I take away privileges."

"She didn't just cut class, Jed, she left campus. She can't just leave school whenever the mood strikes. She could have been kidnapped, she could have been hit by a car, God knows what else! I would have grounded her whether I was angry or not."

"I'm not saying she doesn't deserve consequences..."

"To her, that's exactly what you're saying. It came through loud and clear when you didn't punish her yourself. And if that wasn't enough, what do you think she thought when you didn't offer a word of support when I was dealing with her?"

"Did you want us to gang up on her?"

"We wouldn't have had to gang up on her if you had taken care of it before I came home. Why do I always have to be the disciplinarian around here?"

"I'm not doing my part? Who dealt with Liz's shenanigans all summer?"

"We BOTH did."

"I'm the one who took the hard line with her," Jed barked.

"That makes you a better parent?"

"That makes me the reason she lied to us!"

His retort stopped Abbey in her tracks. She stared at him. His blue eyes had lost their sparkle and the more she stared, the more her anger faded away. Her heart broke for the pain he was in, pain that she, too, felt. The pregnancy had turned the house upside down and just like she'd told her mother at Ellie's birthday party, she didn't know how to fix it. All the anger and disappointment that seeped out of Jed, she harbored as well, and as much as she hated to admit it, she'd lashed out so strongly at Ellie because of it. But she also realized that she wasn't the only one reacting to Liz's situation. She thought about what he said about disciplining Liz. Jed was right - he had yelled at her when she came home drunk on graduation night, he yelled at her again when he thought she was smoking with Doug, he even grounded her. And where did it get him? Fearing his wrath, Liz had kept her pregnancy from them. Abbey now understood the lesson Jed took away from Liz's deception had played out in his subdued response to Ellie.

"Liz didn't lie to us because of the problems you two had over the summer," she said.

"Yes, she did."

"No, Jed, she didn't."

"All everyone keeps saying is that she was scared to tell us."

"Scared that we'd be disappointed in her."

"Yeah, and why is that?"

"Because she's 18 and pregnant. That's not exactly something a parent likes to brag about." Her words fell on deaf ears. "If you want to point fingers, point them at me, not yourself. I'm the one who prescribed the antibiotics for her."

Neither blamed the other, but there was a fair amount of guilt floating between them.

"You didn't know she was on birth control."

"Whose fault is that? The first year of med school, that's when we learned how to take a sexual history. Had it been any other girl, I would have asked her, I would have made sure...

"It wasn't any other girl. It was your daughter. You thought she'd tell you something like that before taking a prescription."

"How could I not have known she was sexually active? I run a sex ed class."

"You didn't know because she didn't want you to. It's not a failure on your part."

"I feel like it is. I feel like a lot of things are these days. I look back and think life was so much easier when I was Liz's age, and I wonder what the difference was. During Ellie's party, it occurred to me that one thing I had that Liz didn't was a mother who was home all the time."

"You think that would have made a difference?" Jed asked.

"It would have prevented problems between me and Liz, that's for sure. She always felt I put work before her."

"She's never felt that way. She said it when she was acting out. That's what teenagers do when they're pissed at their parents. They lash out and say hurtful things they don't really mean. Liz knows better."

"Yeah," she sputtered.

"You're an incredible mother, Abbey. How can you doubt that?"

"Because Ellie's cutting classes and Liz is pregnant." Abbey crossed the room toward their bed. "You were looking for a reason to explain why Liz lied to us?" She took a seat. "I gave you one just as valid as the one you gave me. Don't tell me we're not going through the same thing."

"Point taken." He sat down beside her on the mattress. "I went to see Father Sullivan the other night."

"I know."

"I couldn't get this thought out of my head."

"What?"

"I kept wondering how differently things might have turned out if I hadn't been shuttling back and forth to Washington the past two years."

"What could you have done here that you couldn't do from there?"

"A lot. My physical presence might have made a difference. Who knows, maybe I would have had more influence on our girls. That's not the point though. More than anything, I was searching for some reason to make sense of why Liz latched on to Doug, a man with whom she has next to nothing in common, a man who drives her crazy half the time. Why did she fall in love with him and why was her relationship so important that she was willing to sacrifice the goals she'd set for herself when it came to school and her future?"

"What did you come up with?"

"When I was a theology major and we toured the country that semester, counseling young girls who were unmarried and pregnant, one of the things we were told during the training sessions we had was that a lot of these girls had absentee fathers. That's why they allowed themselves to be seduced by the first man who said 'I love you.' "

"That's not Liz." Alarmed at what he was suggesting, Abbey propped her bent knee on the bed so she was facing him head-on. "Don't you dare compare our situation to theirs. That's not what happened here. Elizabeth has been loved and cherished since the day she was born. Even when you were in Washington, you were always there for her."

"Logically, I know all that. But when you're hit with a lightning bolt, you cling to whatever explanation you can to make sense of it."

"Are you still clinging to that one?"

"No." He shook his head. "But I still keep thinking I failed her."

"You didn't."

"A few weeks before she left for college, she overheard me talking to Jack. I'd been venting about her and Doug. I didn't even know she was standing there until she barged into the office said 'sorry I'm such a disappointment, Dad.' My heart sunk. I was mad at her, but I never meant to make her feel like she was a disappointment."

"She knows that."

"Apparently, she didn't, not that day."

"She was just reacting to emotions, Jed. Deep down, she knew."

"If she knew, she would have come to us when she got into trouble."

"She didn't tell us she was pregnant because she was afraid we'd think less of her, not because of anything we did or said."

"I'm not so sure."

"I'm sure enough for both of us."

"I had another fight with her today...about Wellesley. It was pretty bad."

"It's okay. It'll blow over."

"Yeah, until the next fight. Things are out of control, Abbey."

"I'll give you that," she admitted. "Can I tell you something?" Jed encouraged her with a nod. "Doug called the other night during Ellie's party. I hung up on him. I haven't told Liz and I know that's wrong, but I'm having a tough time convincing myself to do it."

"If she never sees him again, it won't be the worst thing in the world."

"But do I have a right to keep him away?"

"You have every right. You're looking out for your daughter."

"That's how I justified it too, but we both know there's more to it than that. He's the baby's father. Liz chose him. Whether we like it or not, they're going to have a child together and no matter how we feel about Doug, we can't keep him from his own flesh and blood."

"Doug hasn't proved that he even cares about this baby. He wanted her to have an abortion, did you know that?"

"I know she thought about it."

"That's why she broke up with him. If you tell her he called, she'll call him back in an instant, he'll sweet-talk her, and the romance will start all over again."

"I don't want that either."

"Then end of story."

"No, it's not. She's heartbroken, Jed. Maybe it would do her some good to talk to him, gain some closure."

"And what if she doesn't gain that closure? What if she takes him back? That man's like a cancer on this family. Ever since he showed his face, things have gone downhill."

"You're giving him too much power."

"SHE gave him the power."

"Jed, come on. Don't make it a him-versus-us situation. Don't make her feel like she has to choose."

"God knows she'd choose him."

"Only out of rebellion. Right now, we have her home. She and Doug are broken up and she's turned to us for help. If we keep them apart, we'll lose her."

"In some ways, we already have."

"No, we haven't."

"She doesn't trust us. It's not just the pregnancy; she lied to us about school."

"People don't always lie out of malice. You didn't."

"What?" That was the last thing he expected.

"You lied to me about the guy who sent you that death threat. You said they found him..."

"That's completely different."

"Yes, it is. But the point is, you did it to put my mind at ease. That's the same reason Liz was so desperate for us to believe that she was doing well in school. She didn't want us to know how miserable she really was. She didn't want to disappoint us even more than she'd already disappointed herself. Don't you think she hated herself every time she thought about quitting school?"

"She seems happy with her decision."

"She's not happy about anything right now. Her whole life has changed."

"It doesn't have to change as drastically as she's making it. She can stay at Wellesley. We'll support her."

"Maybe she'll come to that conclusion eventually. She's just so lost right now."

"I know." Jed felt a lump in his throat thinking about Liz in such despair. "I wish I could comfort her."

"Why can't you?"

"Because every time we talk, it's a fight. I felt like she tried to bait me this afternoon."

"She just wants your attention. The night she told us she was pregnant, that talk about condoms and birth control, that was for your benefit. She tried to get you to react instead of standing there in silence."

"She wouldn't have wanted to hear what I had to say that night."

"Yes, she would have. You're a vocal man, Jed. She'd rather you scream at her than ignore her."

"I'm not ignoring her, Abbey. I swear I'm not. I wouldn't do that. It's just hard for me to accept things as they are."

"It is for me too."

"How do you keep it together?"

"By reminding myself how I felt when I found out I was pregnant with her. Do you remember?" Jed gave a nod. "It was our wedding day. I was happy, but at the same time, I was worried. We were moving to London in a few days and I wondered how we were going to make it on our own, so far away from family and friends, as newlyweds, and on top of that, as parents. I was so nervous."

"So was I."

"Even if we were staying right here in New England, I would have been just as scared of having a baby, of being responsible for another life."

"Me too."

Abbey took his hand. "At least we had each other. Liz doesn't have anyone right now."

"That's not true. She has us. She'll always have us."

"I mean a partner. If Doug's really out of the picture, can you imagine how alone she feels?"

That dose of reality infuriated Jed all over again. "That punk never deserved her. I swear, if I see him again..."

"Forget about him. It's Liz who needs us now. You have to reach out to her, Jed. Every day you wait is another day that justifies her fears in telling us."

"I want nothing more than to get along with her again. I want us to sit down and talk, like we used to."

"Tell her that. I promise, she's waiting to hear it."

Jed knew that Abbey was right. He'd wrapped himself up in quilt of anger and bitterness for the past week, allowing his own insecurities to get the better of him. Liz was wrong to lie to them, but she didn't do it maliciously, he conceded, and she'd never needed her parents more than she did right now. He pulled away from Abbey, stood up, and headed out the room. She called out his name before he crossed the doorway and when he turned, she flashed him a supportive smile and asked him to meet her downstairs afterwards.

* * *

Elizabeth never imagined her life like this. Last year at this time, she was crowned Manchester High's Homecoming Queen, known by her peers and teachers as a vibrant, intelligent young woman with a bright future ahead of her. It didn't take long to dispel that myth. Thanks to the mess she'd made of things, she washed out of college in her first semester. She'd moved back home with her parents and unhinged the family dynamics. It was chaos all around her. Her father could barely look at her and her parents had been snapping at each other all week. Tonight, she was in the hallway when she overheard their fight over Ellie. It was all because of her, she realized, and she returned to her room to pack her bags, remembering the offer her grandmother had made.

When she heard a knock at her door, she assumed it was Ellie asking for advice on how to weasel her way out of punishment.

"Come in," she said as she folded a sweater and dropped it into her suitcase.

Jed walked in, confused by what she was doing. "What's all this?"

Shocked, Liz spun around. "I thought you were Ellie."

"I'm not. Answer my question."

"I'm going to Boston. Grandma said I can move in with her for a while. I think it's best."

As she turned her attention to her clothes, a speechless Jed watched. He'd come in to make peace with her and from where he stood, that was the last thing on her mind. She wanted to run away, from the house, from the tension, from him. That's what it had come to - the daughter he'd raised for 18 years was about to walk out on him. It happened in families sometimes - estrangements, the final result of problems that couldn't be resolved. Jed had done it to his own father, when, in the heat of an argument one night about his impending move to Indiana for college, he'd shouted at John and swore he'd never come back. He angrily threw some clothes in a bag, the way Liz was doing now, and then he stormed out of the house, determined to keep his promise.

It took him two years to return home from Indiana to make amends with his father. It killed him to think the same thing was about to happen between him and Liz, but he felt helpless to stop it. Desperate to contain the bad memories and hide the emotions bubbling at the surface, he turned his back on her, taking long strides toward the door. His hand touched the knob and he couldn't do it. Leaving would only confirm his indifference in Liz's mind. His compliance would convince her, without a doubt, that he didn't care, just as John's compliance had done to him all those years ago.

Jed turned to her then, prepared to be as stubborn as she was.

"If you want to go, go," he said. "But before you do, I have one question for you and I'd appreciate an honest answer."

"What?"

"When in your childhood did you learn that the best way to deal with problems is to run away from them?"

"I'm not running away."

"Yes, you are. You ran away from school because it was too hard and now you're running away from your family because things are a little crazy."

"A little?"

"All right, a lot crazy. Still, when did you learn that the best course of action is to run? When did I teach you that?"

"I can't stand to be here anymore," she said, her back to him.

"This place is that bad?"

"You really have to ask that?"

"Yeah, I do. Is it the house? Or is it me?" No response. "I guess I already know the answer to that."

"You can't even look at me."

Jed walked around in front of her, lifted her head, and stared her squarely in the eye. "I'm looking at you. Now what?"

She returned his stare, searching his eyes for reassurance. "You think I'm a slut."

"Don't ever say that again. And don't presume to know what I'm thinking when you obviously have no idea."

"How could I know what you're thinking? You've barely said anything to me since I told you."

"That goes both ways."

"I confessed. I didn't know what else to do."

"You confessed? Is that all I'm here for, to hear your confessions?"

"That's not what I meant. It's just...I couldn't very well start a conversation out of the blue. 'Hey Dad, I'm still pregnant. What's new with you?' It's not like you would have had a sense of humor about it."

"Okay, fine, I get that it was awkward...for both of us."

"That's an understatement."

"What made it worse was the secrecy. That night, if I hadn't pressured you to go back to school, if you hadn't blurted it out the way you did, how long would it have taken you to tell me?"

"I was going to wait until after Ellie's party. I wanted to tell you with Uncle Jack there."

"Why?" Jed asked.

"He was supposed to run interference in case things got out of hand."

"You needed someone else there to have a conversation with me? It's ME, Lizzie. Since when have you needed a mediator to talk to me?"

"I never had to tell you something like this before."

"What did you think would happen when I found out?"

"I didn't know. I just liked the idea of someone being there, someone being on my side."

"Your mom and I are always on your side. How can you not know that?"

"Because I screwed up! And it wasn't just a grade on a test or a speeding ticket this time. It's a baby. I knew you'd be disappointed in me. I thought you'd lose it when I told you, and you did. You stormed out to find Doug."

"Yeah, and you said that if I went over there, you'd never speak to me again. You've known me for 18 years; how did you think I'd respond to a threat like that?"

"I was just trying to stop you."

"All it did was send me out the door and add fuel to an already raging fire."

"You were mad at me anyway."

"I was shocked by what I heard."

"And that shock became anger before you even left the house."

"Yeah, maybe it did," he admitted. "You lied to me for two months, Elizabeth - about school, about Doug, about everything."

"I'm sorry," she said.

"Why didn't you trust me? All your life, I tried to drill it in your head that when you're in trouble, I'm the person you come to. I'll always love you, I'll always take care of you. I've told you that countless times. I've proven it over and over. Were you not paying attention? Did you doubt my sincerity?"

"No."

"Then help me understand. Why couldn't you tell me what was happening?"

"You make it sound so easy. You have no idea what it's like!"

"No, I could never understand," he said sarcastically. "Once upon a time, I had parents too. If you think life with your grandfather was some sort of picnic..."

"I don't think that."

"Good, because it wasn't."

"You never had to discuss your sex life with him. Do you have any idea how hard it is for me to face you now, standing here two months pregnant?" Jed tried to hide it, but Liz caught his expression at that. "See? You cringe when I say the word."

"It's uncomfortable, okay? I just got used to thinking of you as a college coed and then this happened. It's a leap I wasn't ready to take."

"Neither was I. I didn't plan it, Dad!"

"No, but you could have prevented it." Jed wished he hadn't said that. The last thing he wanted was another fight.

"By staying a virgin forever?" Liz returned with an impulsive urge to defend herself. She hated how defensive she felt, but it was her coping mechanism at the moment.

"By being straight with your mother when she wrote that prescription. This whole thing could have been avoided."

"You don't think I know that? You don't think I regret taking that stupid prescription without telling her?"

"Fine, let's drop it. I didn't come in here to play the blame game."

"Why did you come?"

"Because I'm sick of us dancing around each other."

"Then let's cut to the chase. You're disappointed in me because I got pregnant and you're mad at me because I lied to you. You can't stand to be around me. Does that cover it?"

"Yeah, that's it." Angered by her attitude, Jed decided to leave before things escalated. He'd reached the door when Liz spoke up.

"I was scared of what you'd think!" she blurted out with a hint of vulnerability that forced Jed to stop. "I was scared that you wouldn't respect me, that you'd be ashamed of me."

He let go of the knob and turned around. "I could never be ashamed of you."

"You say that, but..."

"You're my daughter, the same little girl I've always adored."

"This changes things."

"Yeah, it does," he agreed, his features softening as he approached her. "But it doesn't change my love for you."

"It changes our relationship and you know it." His silence was confirmation and that confirmation upset Liz. "I didn't know what to do."

"So you did nothing," Jed concluded. "Look, I wouldn't have been happy about the pregnancy no matter what, but I could have accepted it eventually. What I'm having a tough time with is the deception. I get that you were afraid to tell me and that you were worried that I'd turn my back on you, but that's what stings. I thought you knew me better than that. I thought we had a stronger bond."

"Our bond had nothing to do with it. It didn't matter how close we were; no girl in my position would want to tell her father that she's pregnant."

"Mom said the same thing."

"She's right."

"Maybe you're both right. Maybe I'm wrong to take it personally. All I know is I can't help how I feel."

"How do you feel?"

He was reluctant to say it, afraid that it wouldn't sound logical. "Betrayed. You probably think that's unfair, but you asked. See, I spent my whole life fearing my father. Not just his temper, but what he thought of me. I wanted to know that he loved me, that I was good enough. The day you were born, I swore you'd never have those doubts about me. I tried to make good on that vow, and I thought I had. And then, this summer happened. You and I had some rough times. I beat myself up for being so hard on you. I felt guilty for making you feel like a disappointment. I never forgave myself for the day you overheard me venting to Uncle Jack. All I could think about was how I screwed things up, how bad I made you feel and how I wanted to kick myself for making you doubt how proud I was of you. That wasn't the kind of father I wanted to be. I told you that the next morning when I apologized."

"And we worked it out."

"That's right, we did. And then you sat me down and you asked me to back off, to quit treating you like a child, to trust you. You said you had things under control. Wellesley was your priority, and you were dead set on attending. I worried that you'd get sidetracked, that Doug would distract you. But what did you tell me? You said that if something went wrong or if you got in over your head, you'd turn to me and let me help you. Remember?"

"Yes, but..."

Jed went on despite her interruption. "And I believed you. This was my fear, Elizabeth. I was afraid of how serious you and Doug were getting. I was concerned that your relationship would somehow jeopardize your goals. Call it a premonition. Call it instinct. Call it fatherly concern. I don't know what it was that pushed me to hold on tight to you, but something did. I had this voice in my ear that kept telling me something wasn't right and that I shouldn't believe everything you told me. But I shouted it down because I trusted you. I let you convince me that I was being an ogre."

"I never said you were being an ogre."

"You didn't have to say it. It's how I felt after our talk that day. I doubted myself and my parenting skills for not believing in you. I felt like I was one of those dads who tries to keep his daughter locked up in the house and away from all outside influences. I guess you did a pretty good job of making your case."

Although Liz appreciated his honesty, she couldn't help feeling like a brat for hurting him. "I didn't purposely mislead you."

"I know you didn't. But it was your insistence that you knew what you were doing and your promise that you'd turn to me if you got into trouble that convinced me to back off and let you make your own mistakes."

"And you wish you hadn't," she said as a statement of fact. "This was your nightmare scenario."

Jed shook his head. "Not really. My nightmare scenario is much worse. It may not seem like it right now, but as long as you're healthy and safe, I can deal with anything. I just had to remind myself of that."

"You can deal with anything except this."

"Don't put words in my mouth."

"Am I wrong?"

"Yes," he said firmly. "I'm not proud of my reaction to the news. Storming out and then avoiding the situation wasn't the best way to handle it." He shrugged. "I'm not perfect. Sometimes, my brain says one thing and my heart says another. You know what that's like."

"Sometimes I do." Overcome by another wave of remorse, she said, "I'm sorry, Dad. I really am."

"I'm sorry too. Our fight this afternoon, I shouldn't have blown up like that."

"I walked out because I was sick of fighting."

"And that's why you want to leave." He glanced down at her suitcase.

"Grandma thought it might help."

"It won't. For once, believe me when I say I know what I'm talking about. Yeah, things are messy right now. Emotions are raw and we're all trying to adjust. But this won't last forever. We'll come to terms with it and things will get better."

"In general or between us?"

"Both," he told her. "But the way to do that is to stay here and face this head-on. You don't solve your problems by running away, Lizzie. I raised you to know that."

"I do know that. It's just hard."

"Yeah, it is. And like many things in life, it might get harder before it gets easier. That doesn't mean you give up."

"Are you talking about me staying home or about college now?"

"Everything I said applies to college too, but my focus right now is on the immediate future. Do you want to go to Boston?" It made Jed nervous to even ask that question and when Liz gave a slight shake of her head, he breathed a sigh of relief. "I don't want you to go either. I want you to stay right here with us. I want us to work things out."

"After this week, I didn't think it was possible to work it out." She teared up again.

"Oh God, not again," Jed joked to lighten the mood. He grabbed a tissue from her dresser. "You're single-handedly keeping Kleenex in business, I hope you know."

A soft chuckle escaped Liz's lips. She'd been crying so much lately that she almost forgot what it felt like to laugh. Jed noticed it too and suddenly, it didn't matter to him that she had lied; what mattered was what he saw when he looked at her. His Lizzie was animated and energetic, with deep blue eyes that lit up the room. The Lizzie before him was withdrawn and depressed, her spirit trampled by the heartbreak of the pregnancy, of dropping out of school, and of losing Doug. The last time he'd seen her smile was the night she came home from school and he teased her about the Sloppy Joe's he had made for dinner. Just a week ago and yet, it felt like a lifetime. It pained him to see her so miserable now. She was lost, just like Abbey said.

He reached out his hand to touch her and as soon he did, Liz flew into his arms. He hugged her tight, offering the comfort that only a father could, and for the first time, Liz felt a spark of hope that everything really would be all right.

TBC


	27. Chapter 27

Series: Snapshots of the Past

Story: The Candidate's Daughter

Chapter 27

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Previously: Jed and Liz made peace, though they still had things to work out; Ellie faced Abbey's wrath after her friends pressured her to skip class and leave campus; after his recent trouble with Liz, Jed was reluctant to punish Ellie; Jack advised Jed to tell his staff about Liz's pregnancy; Abbey intercepted a call from Doug to Liz

Summary: Liz struggles with the idea of giving up her baby; Abbey tries to make up with Ellie; it's debate night and Jed's on his game; the Bartlet girls find a fun way to enjoy the "boring" debate

Author's Note: Another long one; I promise I'll try to keep them shorter in the future or find a way to break them up. Thanks for reading!

* * *

Elizabeth stood under the shower head. Her fingers threaded her thick locks of wet brown hair as she lathered her strands under a coating of strawberry scented shampoo and twisted them into a nest that sat on top of her head. She then reached for her loofah and body wash. The shampoo trickled off her scalp, onto her forehead and when she felt the cool spray of the water washing it away, she closed her eyes. Rubbing a swirl of body wash between her palms, she applied it to her arms, her chest, and down toward her stomach, where she paused, her hand lingering over the small bulge in her belly.

It was all still surreal to her. There was a baby growing in her womb, another human being depending on her for care and nourishment. Depending on her? Who was she? A girl who went off to college full of fire and determination only to return an emotional mess, confused and troubled by the curve ball of an unplanned pregnancy. How could she bring a life into the world when all she'd managed to do so far was screw up her own? She had those thoughts a lot these days. Babies were supposed to be blessings from God, but why would God trust her with the birth of one?

She stopped questioning it then as she pressed down on her stomach, hoping to feel it move inside. Abbey had told her she'd feel the first kicks during the second trimester, but Liz tried anyway, anticipation bubbling inside her before she snapped herself out of it.

"What the hell are you doing?" She admonished herself for feeling a twinge of excitement at the possibility of the baby's movements.

She couldn't allow herself to experience that kind of emotion. It was too risky, too easy to become attached. This baby wasn't hers; she couldn't raise it, not the way a child deserves to be raised. She'd have to give it up and there was nothing the least bit exciting about giving birth to an infant just to hand it over to a total stranger and hope that he or she lands in loving arms. It tore her up inside to imagine her baby with parents who were cruel or abusive, growing up in a home devoid of laughter and love. Just the thought of it brought tears to her eyes. How could she do it? How could she carry a baby to term, how could she feel it move inside her, how could she feel it kick and turn over, how could she talk to it or sing to it, how could she be responsible for it for nine long months and then not get to keep it? It was next to impossible, she started to realize. It was too late to warn herself against becoming attached. Only nine weeks into her pregnancy, Liz was already feeling the pull that a mother feels for her child.

* * *

Three days had passed since Ellie got caught skipping school with her friends. Abbey had been so furious that she grounded her until Christmas. It wasn't often that Abbey lost her cool with the girls, but Ellie had never crossed the line the way she had this time. Ordinarily, she was a sweet, respectful girl who had a conscience and moral regard for right and wrong. Like all kids, she occasionally broke the rules, but those times were few and far between, until recently. Her circle of friends had influenced her and Abbey saw it as a trigger, the first step toward a pattern of behavior she was desperate to stop right then and there.

She'd yelled at Ellie, demanded an explanation only to reject it because it wasn't good enough. Jed tried to intervene between mother and daughter, but in her anger, Abbey ignored him and sent Ellie to bed without a resolution. Now that she had cooled off, she realized that was a mistake. Her middle daughter wasn't like her first-born. Liz always fought back, her sarcasm and sharp tongue frequently landing her in even more trouble. But Ellie was sensitive. Her feelings were easily bruised and she was especially distraught whenever she upset her parents. She deserved to be grounded for what she had done, but Abbey regretted shouting at her the way she did. Predictably, Ellie had been avoiding her ever since.

That morning, Abbey stepped out of her bedroom at the same that Ellie stepped out of hers. They saw each other for a split-second in the hall and before Abbey could make a move, Ellie scurried back inside her room and closed the door.

"Ellie, come back here." Abbey followed her, knocking once, then letting herself in. "You can't keep doing this."

"I'm not doing anything."

"Yes, you are. You're avoiding me. The last two nights, you locked your door before I came home from work so I couldn't say goodnight to you. I got the message - you're mad at me." Ellie sat at the chair by her desk, refusing to look at her mother until Abbey said, "You have a right to be."

That was the last thing she expected. "I do?"

"I yelled at you, I cut you off, and I sent you to your room without hearing you out. That's not how you and I do things."

"No, it's not."

"I lost my temper."

"You've never been that mad before," Ellie agreed, more open now.

"You're right, I haven't. But do you know why I got so mad?"

"Because I skipped school."

"Why else?"

"I went to Dunkin' Donuts without telling you."

"And?"

"And what?"

"And the reason that made me so angry?"

Ellie shrugged. "Because it was wrong."

"Because I love you. That should have been part of my lecture the other night."

"You didn't lecture. You just yelled."

"Well then, it should have been part of my rant." Abbey kneeled down in front of Ellie's chair. "I love you, Ellie, and what you did scared me."

"I didn't mean to scare you."

"Well, you did. Running off like that wasn't just against the rules. It was dangerous. You could have gotten hurt and no adult knew where you were to help. You could have been hit by a car, someone could have taken you, any number of things could have happened."

"Nothing happened."

"It could have. There's a reason parents want to know where their kids are at all times. When I'm at work, I don't want to have to worry about what you're doing, about whether or not someone is hurting you, or whether or not you're lost. I want to know that you're in school, right where you're supposed to be."

"I've never done it before. I knew it was wrong. I just went along because..."

"Because you wanted them to like you. That scares me too."

"What's so wrong about wanting people to like you?"

"Nothing usually, but I'm afraid you've gotten carried away with it. You haven't been acting like yourself lately."

"You haven't been acting like yourself either," Ellie returned.

"What are you talking about?"

"You're always picking on me. And when you're not picking on me, you're short with me."

"What?" Abbey was taken aback by the accusation. "Where did that come from?"

"It's like with the ski boots. I asked for them and you wouldn't even listen to me. It was just 'no, end of story.' That's why I asked Dad. And then you pick on me about my attitude even though I don't have one half the time. You roll your eyes when my friends call, you don't want me on the ski team."

"What makes you think I don't want you on the ski team?"

"You won't let me try out."

"That's not fair. I won't let you try out because you're grounded and you're grounded because you cut class and left school without my permission. You brought that on yourself."

"You didn't have to ground me for two months! You could have made it two weeks!" She continued, hopeful that Abbey would change her mind. "You can still make it two weeks. You can easily let me try out if you want to."

"You're right, I can."

"Will you?"

"No, I won't, because you haven't proved to me that you deserve to try out."

"See? You just don't want me on the team."

"Instead of blaming me for getting yourself into trouble, maybe you could try taking some responsibility." Abbey stood and backed up toward Ellie's bed, sitting down while still facing her daughter. "The old Ellie would have."

"What does that mean, the old Ellie?"

"It means exactly what I said. Before you met those girls, you were a lot more responsible."

"So you're blaming my friends again?"

"They have a lot to do with your recent behavior."

"No, they don't. You just hate them."

"I don't hate them. I hate that they have such influence over you."

"They don't."

"Yes, they do. And somehow, they've convinced you that you need to change to get them to like you."

"You don't get it, Mom. You don't understand how hard it is for me."

"I do understand."

"No, you don't! Lizzie makes friends wherever she goes. You and Dad are just like her and Zoey's going to be too. I can't do that."

"You had no trouble making friends in elementary school."

"Because we were all in one classroom together all day long. We were forced to be friends. Junior high is different. Everyone has their own clique and if you don't have one, then you're a loser."

"It does NOT make you a loser."

"Sure it does. You eat alone at lunch, you walk to class by yourself, you don't share a locker with anyone."

"Kids share lockers?"

Ellie nodded. "Lacy was going to move into my locker this week."

"Why?"

"So that we can see each other after every class. It's just what people do."

"Well, you can do it too...with someone else."

"You don't get it, there is no one else. I'm not Lizzie."

"Lizzie has nothing to do with this."

"For me, she does! Lizzie walks into a room and everyone starts talking to her, everyone wants to be her friend. I walk into a room and no one notices."

"That's not true. I'm not going to let you convince yourself that you're not every bit as capable of turning heads as Lizzie. Everyone notices you, Ellie. The only reason everyone talks to Liz is because she's more outgoing, more assertive."

"You're saying that's how I should be?"

"That's not what I'm saying at all. You need to stop comparing yourself to her. You're two entirely different people with two entirely different personalities."

"I'm reminded of that all the time," she complained. "I just want the social stuff to be as easy for me as it is for her."

"I know you do, and I understand that, but you can't change who you are."

"Why?"

"Because you may not believe it, but you're who you were meant to be. And just so you know, that person is very special to me. If it takes you longer to make friends, it's not because there's something wrong with you. Your Aunt Kate was just like you; it always took her more time to open up around people and to let people get to know her. It didn't hurt her a bit in the long run."

"Yeah, and you were more like Lizzie."

"I was more outgoing, but I wouldn't compare myself to Lizzie. I mean, Lizzie'll talk to anyone."

"I know."

"That's not always a good thing. One time, when she was four years old, we were living in Boston and I was in my second year of med school. Your father was at work one afternoon and Lizzie said she wanted to play in the playground outside. I let her go while I studied and about 10 minutes later, I went to check on her. There she was, playing with this man I'd never seen before. He had to be in his 20s; he had no business even being in the playground, let alone talking to her. It was just the two of them and Liz had him engaged in conversation."

"I bet you were mad that she was talking to a stranger."

"Livid! It turned out, he was just walking by and she was the one who stopped him. She asked him to play Hide 'n' Seek with her."

"What did you do?"

"I dragged her home and sent her to her room 'until further notice.' " Abbey smiled. "Sound familiar?"

It was the only time in Liz's life that Abbey almost spanked her. She'd sent Liz to her room so that she could calm herself down first, but then she remembered the agreement she and Jed had made to use alternate forms of discipline. She wanted to ignore it, believing that Jed would understand that Liz hadn't just taken another cookie when she was told not to or snuck into the TV room after bedtime. Talking to strangers was a direct defiance of an unnegotiable rule, one serious enough that she deserved more than just losing privileges.

As she struggled with what to do that afternoon, she heard Liz's cries from down the hall. Her heart broke at the sound. She walked in and found the four-year-old lying face-down on her bed, crying into her pillow. Abbey climbed up next to her daughter and stroked her back until Liz turned her head to look at her. She knew what she had done was wrong and hiding behind her tears was a layer of genuine remorse. That was when Abbey decided that a spanking wasn't the answer. Liz responded to reason and learned her lesson.

That was the kind of resolution Abbey now sought with Ellie. She didn't want to keep Ellie from joining the ski team or having a normal junior high experience. She just wanted Ellie to acknowledge her mistake and feel the kind of remorse she had seen in Liz all those years ago. But as the minutes ticked by, it became clear that Ellie's situation was much more complicated.

"Before I met Lacy, I didn't have any friends," she told her. "Do you know how lonely junior high is without friends?"

"Sweetheart, I don't think Lacy is your friend."

"She is!"

"If she was your friend, she wouldn't have asked you to skip class."

"She stood up for me! Nicole and Celia gave me a hard time because I said no and Lacy told them to back off!"

"You said no?"

"At first."

"Then why did you change your mind?"

"I don't know, because I'm stupid?"

"You're not stupid. You were just desperate to fit in."

"If you knew the answer, why did you ask?"

"Because I wanted you to say it."

"Fine, I want to fit in. I like Lacy."

"That's the problem. You like her more than you like yourself." Ellie silently shook her head as if denying what Abbey said without wanting to argue about it. "When did you become a follower?"

"I've always been a follower."

"No, you haven't."

"Yes, I have. It's just how I am. You know it is."

"The only thing I know is that something's gotten into you lately. Your tone of voice, your mannerisms. This is not the Ellie I've known for 12 years."

"Nothing's gotten into me."

"Then why are you behaving like this? Why are you so defensive when all I want to do is talk things out?"

Another shrug. "I hate being grounded."

"Well then, let that be a lesson for next time."

"Why bother talking when it won't change anything? I'm still going to be grounded, right?"

"Yes."

"And I still won't be able to hang out with Lacy. So, what's the point of talking?"

"I didn't realize that those two things were all that's important." Abbey was hurt that Ellie didn't want to patch things up between the two of them. "If you don't want to talk, that's fine. I'm not going to force you."

She stood and started to head out, but Ellie stopped her.

"Mom?" The 12-year-old softened her voice.

"Yeah?"

"If I promise never to do anything like that again..." Abbey shook her head before she even finished her question. "Please? I made a mistake, but I swear, I'll do everything right from now on. I'll do whatever you tell me to and I'll never..."

"No, Ellie."

"PLEASE?"

"I said no! I came in here to make up with you, but you're not going to talk me into letting you hang out with Lacy again. I said no and I meant it. I'm not going back on my word."

Her pleas fell on deaf ears, Ellie realized. She was used to her father not understanding how much she struggled to make new friends; he didn't get it. But her mother was different. Abbey always understood. Abbey was her cheerleader, her advocate, the person who went to bat for her when things got messy. This time, that had all changed. The person she expected to have sympathy for her was the one punishing her instead, and in her 12-year-old mind, she couldn't help feeling alone and betrayed.

Abbey opened the door to leave. "Breakfast in 20 minutes."

"Not for me," Ellie replied.

"You have to have breakfast before school."

"You're the one who said the only time I can leave my room is to go to school. You wouldn't want to go back on your word, would you?"

Abbey felt her temper rise again. Like she'd thought so often lately, it was unusual for Ellie to challenge her like that. A mix of anger and disappointment crossed her face and she took a deep breath, then left abruptly before she said anything to escalate the exchange.

* * *

"I like this one!" Zoey held up the catalog of children's Halloween costumes she'd been flipping through at the kitchen table.

"Betsy Ross?" Jed turned his head to get a look at what she was pointing to. "Don't get me wrong, I'd be proud of that costume and it would be a blessing for my campaign if my daughter dressed up as Betsy Ross for Halloween, but do you even know who she is?"

"She's the woman who makes chocolate cake!"

He chuckled while scrambling a half-dozen eggs at the stove. "That's Betty Crocker."

"Then who's she?" Zoey asked, pointing again to the photo of a model in an American flag costume portraying the heroine.

"A patriot, that's who she is. Let me finish the eggs and I'll go down to the study and get you a book so we can read all about Betsy Ross."

"I don't wanna read! Why can't you just tell me?"

"Because if you look it up for yourself, you'll learn more than if I just tell you."

"But I don't wanna learn."

"Tough. You're a Bartlet, kid. Learning's in the blood."

She heaved a loud sigh, then flipped through the catalog again.

Halloween was a big deal in the Bartlet house. Because it fell just a few weeks after her birthday, Ellie often included Halloween themes into her parties, which meant the farmhouse had to be decorated for the entire month of October. Jack-o'-lanterns glowed out on the porch and spider webs hung on the walls. A life-sized cutout of the Grim Reaper stood guard at the back door, holding in his hand a plastic pumpkin candy bucket filled to the rim with candy corn and jelly beans.

To Jed, the best part of the holiday was helping his girls pick out a costume. When Lizzie was a child, it was easy. He and Abbey could predict what she'd want nearly every year. She was their girly-girl, mesmerized by frilly costumes that made her look like a pint-sized glam queen. If it had glitter and lace, it was a sure bet that Lizzie would love it. Then Ellie came along and they had to adjust their costume shopping to meet her tastes. Their blonde middle daughter liked variety. She'd chosen traditional costumes in the past - her Alice in Wonderland get-up even won her a costume award at an after-school Halloween party one year. But sometimes, she gravitated toward selections that weren't quite as conventional, like the year she got all gussied up in a pair of brown suede pants, a white lace shirt, brown suede vest with a matching cowgirl hat and went trick-or-treating as a rodeo girl. Then there was Zoey. She marched to the beat of her own drummer. As a toddler, she wobbled door-to-door as a walking, talking Hershey's Kiss. Abbey searched every shopping mall and boutique in New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont, and Massachusetts the year she wanted to be a Christmas Tree. And last year, in honor of their Egyptian vacation, Liz had persuaded her to dress up as an Arabian Princess, complete with a stuffed camel she held in her arms. Jed was almost afraid of what caught her eye this year.

Her eyes lit up with enthusiasm when she came across another costume she liked. "Daddy, I wanna be this!"

Jed glanced over for a second time. He furrowed his brows at the Knight of the Dragon costume Zoey pointed to. "Why?"

"He's carrying a SWORD! I always wanted to carry a sword!"

"Since when?"

"Since now! Can I get this one?"

Swords used to appeal to Jed too - as little boys, he and Jack used to have sword fights all the time - but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't picture his little Zoey in that et-up. "It's a boy's costume, Zo."

"So? Mommy says that girls can do anything boys can do."

"And she's right."

"Then why can't I be a knight?"

"Because I don't think it's you. It doesn't fit your personality. Don't you want to be Cinderella?"

"No, I wanna be a knight and I wanna carry a sword!"

"Lizzie was Cinderella one year. She wore a beautiful tiara that sparkled and your mom even sewed rhinestones on her dress. Doesn't that sound pretty?"

"I'll be Cinderella if Cinderella can carry a sword."

He chuckled. "Now that wouldn't make much sense, would it? Why would Cinderella carry a sword?"

Zoey narrowed her eyes. "To kill those mean stepsisters!"

Abbey snuck up on them then. Her feet bare, there were no high heels clicking on the hardwood floor to give her away.

"I leave the child with you for five minutes, Jed, and she's conspiring to kill people."

Jed spun around to face her. "I want it noted that this is not my fault. I was trying to persuade her to be Cinderella for Halloween."

Abbey stood behind Zoey and leaned down to drop a kiss to the top of her head.

The six-year-old tilted her head up at her mother. "Mommy, can we have a Halloween party?"

"Here?"

"Yeah. We can invite all our friends."

"Who's we?"

"Ellie, Lizzie, and me."

"Ellie's grounded."

"Not for Halloween?" Jed questioned as he handed his wife a mug of coffee.

"Why not?"

"Because it's Halloween. Ground her before and after, but let her enjoy that night."

"What's the purpose of grounding her if it's going to be selective based on what she wants to do?"

"Technically, you're right, but come on. It's Halloween. I think we can make an exception for a special occasion. She knows she was wrong. She'll apologize and I doubt we'll ever see her do something like this again."

"Spoken by someone who didn't just talk to her."

"Uh oh." Her expression said it all, Jed realized. "I don't have to ask, do I?" Abbey shook her head. "You want me to talk to her?"

"It won't do any good. The only thing that'll make her happy is if I let her do what she wants and that's never going to happen." She reached for a bagel on the counter. "Are you going to be locked up in debate prep all day?"

"Yeah," he said. "What time is Liz's doctor's appointment?"

"Nine o'clock, and then I'm going to take her shopping for new clothes." Jed rolled his eyes at that. "I have to. She's not going to fit into her old clothes much longer. Besides, do you want her showing up to your debate tonight sporting a bulging belly?"

"She's barely showing. People will assume it's Freshman Fifteen."

"Until they find out she dropped out of school." He ignored that statement as he went back to his eggs. "I think I'm going to tell her about Doug today."

Jed turned his head toward her, but said nothing as they stared at each other.

Zoey took advantage of the silence. "Tell her what?"

"It's the right thing to do," Abbey reasoned her husband. "She's depressed."

"And you think Doug is going to make her less depressed?"

"I don't know, but it's not fair to leave her in the dark."

"About what?" Zoey persisted.

"Go wash up, Zo."

"But I wanna know!"

"Zoey, now." Jed used a firm tone and Zoey did as he said. Grumbling, she pushed her chair out and stood.

Once she was gone, Abbey went on, "She might find out on her own and as vulnerable as she is right now, the last thing she needs is to feel betrayed by us."

"IF she finds out - and that's a huge if - she'll understand."

"Will she? If my parents had interfered in our relationship, I would have been furious."

"That's an entirely different situation."

"The principle is the same. She's not a little girl, Jed. We can't run her life. It's our job to guide her, not control her."

"If she calls him..."

"I know."

"They're going to get back together."

"It's a possibility."

"And you want to tell her anyway?"

"She deserves to be told, and as much you hate it, you know that's true."

Although Jed couldn't bring himself to admit it out loud, he conceded that point. He couldn't keep Liz and Doug apart forever, no matter how much he wanted to. There would come a time when Liz would have to make her own decisions and chart her own path in life and eventually, he'd have to allow her to do that. He just wished that time wasn't now, when she was so vulnerable. Doug could manipulate her, take advantage of her, worm his way back into her life and disrupt all her dreams even more than he already had. The only thing keeping Jed from acting on his overwhelming urge to protect her was the fear that if he intervened, he'd push her right into his arms forever.

* * *

Abbey had never felt the chill of a doctor's office the way she did when she took Liz to her appointment that morning. Liz wasn't anxious or nervous; she was simply withdrawn. She hadn't said a word in the car or in the waiting room after they arrived. When the nurse called for her, she invited Abbey to go with her for the doppler to hear the baby's heartbeat. It was supposed to be an exciting moment, the second a new mother hears her child's heart beating for the very first time. But a battle raged inside Liz, one that had her tied in knots about what to do with her baby, and the conflicting emotions that bubbled up to the surface kept her from experiencing the joy that most mother's felt, joy that Abbey, herself, could remember feeling with each of her pregnancies.

It was hard on Abbey too, helplessly watching Liz's internal struggle. She was used to being there for her daughter to guide her through life's obstacles. This time, she couldn't do that. She'd vowed to keep quiet so that Liz could make up her own mind without being inappropriately influenced. She questioned the wisdom of that promise now. Liz was hurting and Abbey feared that in her troubled state of mind, she'd forgotten she had options.

"Are you all right?" she asked Liz as she helped her onto the table.

Liz gave her an unconvincing nod.

The doctor made some small-talk, then pulled Liz's gown aside to start the procedure.

The cold gel on her belly made Liz clench her eyes shut and squeeze Abbey's hand. The probe moved across her stomach and soon, they all heard the rhythm of a heartbeat. Abbey smiled at the sound, her eyes glazed with a thin layer of happy tears. Her grandchild was alive and well inside her daughter's womb, and it didn't matter how he or she was conceived. This baby was a part of all of them.

She lovingly stroked Liz's hand. "Do you hear it, sweetheart?"

Liz looked up at her mother. "Is that healthy? It sounds fast."

"It is fast. It's perfectly normal though." Abbey glanced at the doctor for reassurance. "Right?"

"She's right, Elizabeth. Your baby's heart sounds strong and healthy. It's supposed to beat that fast around week nine. If it didn't, we'd be worried."

"So she's developing like she should?"

"Well, it's too soon to know the sex..."

"It's a girl. I have a feeling," Liz told her. "Is she healthy?"

"Her heart is healthy for sure. We'll need to do an ultrasound to officially date the pregnancy and I'll be able to answer all your questions after that. If you're as far along as you think you are, it'll put your due date right around the beginning of May. Best Mother's Day present ever, isn't it?"

It would be, for some mother, Liz thought. She looked away, wiping at her eyes. "I'm sorry."

Confused, the doctor handed her a tissue. "It's okay; pregnancy's an emotional time, especially the first trimester."

They hadn't told her yet that Liz wasn't planning to keep the baby. Abbey realized they needed to, but first, she had to talk to Liz.

"I know you have a lot of patients after us, but could we have just a minute before we do the ultrasound?" she asked.

"Of course. Open the door when she's ready."

"Thank you." She walked the doctor out and closed the door behind her before turning to Liz.

"I can't do it, Mom," Liz cried. "I can't give her up."

"Lizzie..."

"Could you have done it? Could you have given me up? Or Ellie or Zoey?"

The thought was inconceivable to Abbey. "No."

"And I can't either." A surge of energy hit Liz. She sat up and went on, "I know I'm young, I know I don't know anything, but I'll learn. I'll work three jobs to support her if I have to. I'll go to school at night, I'll do anything. I just can't give her up! I can't!"

Abbey hugged her fiercely as she wept on her shoulder. "You don't have to give her up. You don't have to do anything you don't want to do."

"I don't?"

"No." She pulled out of the embrace, but held on to Liz's shoulders. "I'm going to ask you the most important question I've ever asked and I want you to be completely honest with me, okay?" Liz nodded, tears still shining in her eyes. "Do you want to be a mom?" Liz thought about that question. She didn't answer impulsively. In fact, she didn't answer at all until Abbey prodded her. "Liz, answer me. Do you want to be a mom?"

"Yes," she replied softly, her voice weak from her cries. "I think I do."

"You can't 'think,' Liz. You have to be sure. This is going to affect every decision you make for at least the next 18 years. And even after that, you're still going to be somebody's mom for the rest of your life. This is a lifetime commitment. You understand that, right?"

"I understand."

"And you're willing to do it?"

"Yes!" she said, louder. Another long pause and then, "I'm afraid."

"All mothers are afraid at first."

"No, I mean...the life I want her to have...can I give it to her? Would I be selfish to keep her?"

"What kind of life do you envision for her?"

"A good one. I don't want her to ever be hungry or cold, without enough food to eat or a warm bed to sleep in at night. I don't want her to grow up in foster homes or with parents who'll hit her or mistreat her. I want her to have a caring family, a mom who loves her, a dad who teases her, siblings she loves..."

"You want her to have the kind of life you had?"

"Yes," she said emphatically. "And I can't guarantee her any of that if I give her away." She sounded angry that she couldn't close her eyes and wish it for her baby. "But if I don't give her away, I can't give her the life she deserves either. I don't even have a job."

"It's okay."

"How can it be okay? I'm a mess, a college dropout who has no idea what she's going to do with her life. And I've got a baby growing inside me who's depending on me. Mom, she's counting on me to know what to do and I've never felt more lost."

"You don't have to have all the answers right now. Eventually, you'll be able to take care of her."

"How do you know that?"

"Because I know you. When you want something badly enough, you make sure you get it."

"So you think I should keep her?"

"If you can't stand to give her away, then yes, you should keep her. You asked me if I could have given you up. The answer is no. Absolutely not. Even before I ever saw your sweet little face, I loved you, Lizzie. The thought of bringing you into the world and getting to hold you and raise you is what got me through my pregnancy and labor. You were a part of me and I knew every time I rubbed my belly, every time I talked to you when you were still in the womb that you were someone I was going to cherish forever. If I thought I'd have to turn you over to strangers, it would have destroyed me."

"That's exactly what it'll do to me. I don't know how women give their babies up for adoption."

"They summon their courage and they do it. It's an incredibly selfless act to give your baby to someone who can give them a better life than you can."

"I don't know if I have it in me to be that selfless."

"You don't have to be. You're one of the fortunate ones. You don't have to do this alone. You've got me and your dad to help you, if you'll let us. We can raise this baby together."

"Are you serious?"

"I wouldn't joke about it."

"Will Dad go for it?"

"He already has. We talked about it that first night. I didn't want to bring it up until you made up your own mind because I didn't want you to feel like we were pressuring you to keep the baby."

"But that's what you want, right? You want me to keep her?"

"We want you to do whatever you feel is right. If you want to be her mother, we'll help you do that. If you don't think you're ready for it, but you can't stand to give her up, your dad and I talked about adopting her ourselves. At least you'll know she's being cared for and you'll always be a part of her life."

"You'd do that?"

"Of course we would, as long as it's not too much for you. I mean, if we adopt her, how are you going to feel seeing her everyday? Will you be okay with that?"

Liz agreed that would be difficult. "I'd like to raise her myself. I just don't know if I can."

Abbey sat on her bed. "I've seen you do anything you set your mind to all your life. This is going to be harder than all those other things, but it's not beyond your capabilities, especially with your family helping you."

"You really think so?"

"I wouldn't say it if I didn't. I have faith in you."

Never had Liz needed Abbey more. She leaned forward into her mother's arms, thankful for the unwavering support Abbey offered.

* * *

There was no denying the opening of the Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant was the most polarizing issue in New Hampshire in the fall of 1986. It divided the state's residents and because it was an election year, politicians raced to choose sides. The governors of New Hampshire and Massachusetts clashed on the issue; in their respective states, the battle line had been drawn between Democrats and Republicans. Jed had already spoken out against the plant and now, on the afternoon of his first debate with his Republican opponent, it was the job of his campaign to prepare him for the moment he'd have to defend his stand, a move that could win him or cost him the election.

"I agree with Governor Dukakis's assessment of the situation and I fully support his intervention," he said in response to a question from his staff as they carried on a mock debate at Bartlet for Congress Headquarters.

"Despite Governor Sununu's support for Seabrook?" his campaign director, Mark, followed up.

"Governor Sununu is tragically uninformed on this one."

A round of moans and grumbles greeted that statement.

"Don't say 'uninformed'," Mark advised.

"Why?"

"It's antagonistic."

"It's true."

"Whether it's true or not, he's an MIT engineering grad and has spent a lot of time at Seabrook. People aren't going to buy that he's uninformed."

"So I say that he's well-informed and well-intentioned to placate his staff, then what? I explain why he's also full of crap?"

Brooke took that one. "Just say you have a difference of opinion."

"A difference of opinion? On a subject this important to the people of New Hampshire, a subject that could very well decide this election, all because the governor's too intelligent to pick on?"

"Has nothing to do with his intelligence. Mark was just saying that's what the voters will glom onto."

"What does it have to do with then?"

"Popularity. He won his gubernatorial election with 67 percent of the vote. He says jump, voters ask how high. Do you really want to go up against him at such a crucial time in the campaign?"

"Yes."

Jed was being oppositional, just as he had for days when it came to political spin and the never-ending subject of how best to appease voters. His staff had come to expect it, and because they knew that more often than not, he was a reasonable and generous man, they accepted it as the behavior not of Jed Bartlet, the public servant, but Jed Bartlet, the politician who was occasionally so disgusted with the word games he was forced to play at debate time that it turned him into a grump.

An interruption from Jack disrupted the flow of the exchange before anyone could counter Jed's answer.

"Sorry guys." He signaled to his brother. "Could I borrow you for a minute?"

Jed tucked his padfolio under his arm and followed Jack out of the room and into the corridor. "Don't tell me we're out of money."

"I won't, though we're getting close to it. But that's not why I dragged you out here."

"Then why?"

Although he knew his interference wouldn't be taken well, he lowered his voice and asked, "You haven't told them yet, have you?"

Jed sighed. He hadn't broken the news about Liz's pregnancy to anyone at his office, either in Washington or in New Hampshire. He thought about doing it, but each time he came close to the big reveal, he talked himself out of it, persuading himself that it was no one's business what happened in Liz's private life. Deep down, he acknowledged that was true, but doubts about his true motivations gnawed at him.

Shame was a four-letter word to Jed. It was something he believed a real father never felt toward his children. He was insulted when Jack suggested, days earlier, that he was ashamed of Liz. When Liz offered that as a reason that she kept quiet about her pregnancy, Jed did his best to assure her he could never be ashamed of her; and he believed it with everything inside him. The day each of his girls was born, his heart swelled with pride. He still felt that pride for all three of them, but in the darkest crevasse of his soul, he'd been trampled by the realization that it was possible that shame was one of the emotions he had toward the situation Liz was in, and he questioned what kind of father he was to be proud of the person she'd become, yet ashamed of the choices she'd made.

"They need to know about this," Jack went on. "How long do you think you can keep it from them? From everyone? Sooner or later, it'll come up and guess what it's going to look like when it does."

"It's going to look like I was protecting my daughter from scorn and ridicule aimed at her to get to me."

"OR, it'll look like you kept a secret so you could win the election."

"Screw anyone who thinks that!"

"Look, I'm not telling you to make a public announcement. That should be Liz's choice. What I'm saying is your staff has a right to know about this. You're making a mistake in not trusting them."

"Thanks for the tip, but if I want your input, I'll ask for it."

Jed briskly skirted around him and went back into the conference room they used for debate prep, slamming the door behind him and leaving a furious Jack to stalk back to his office.

* * *

"What can I wear that doesn't make me look pregnant?"

A frustrated Liz had combed her closet for the perfect dress for Jed's debate, but when she couldn't find one that hid her expanding waistline, she marched to the master bedroom, hoping to take a peak in her mother's closet. Abbey had dresses for every occasion, from cocktail to picnic. Liz hoped at least one of them would be loose-fitting enough that she would feel comfortable joining her family on stage after the debate, without worrying about giving away her secret.

"I told you we should have gone shopping." Abbey had offered to take her, but Liz was tired and emotionally drained after her doctor's appointment.

"We can go some other time. But for tonight..."

"How about this?" Abbey held up a simple black dress with an empire waist and single line of rhinestones under the chest to distract attention from her torso.

"I'll try it on. Thanks." Liz took the dress, still on its hanger, and began to return to her room.

"It's going to become obvious at some point. You know that, don't you?"

"Yeah."

"We have to talk about it, as a family. With your dad running for office, it's going to affect all of us."

"Dad won't want to talk about it."

"How do you know that? Things are better between you two."

Liz turned to face her. "Better yes, but not like they were."

"It'll take time," Abbey said. "You're both working on it. That's the important thing."

"He's embarrassed." Despite Jed's denial, Liz always saw through him. "It's not a big deal, I understand. But if I keep the baby, how will he feel when she's born?"

"He'll love her more than any other grandfather possibly could. Come on, Lizzie, do you really doubt that?"

"No, it's just..."

"Just what?"

"She's always going to be the product of what Dad views as a mistake."

"She's a product of love. Your dad and I may not understand your love for Doug, but that doesn't mean that either of us could look at the face of the innocent child conceived as a result of it and call her a mistake. If you choose to keep this baby, she will never feel anything less than our unconditional love and support. I promise you that."

Zoey barged in then. "Mommy, Ellie said that because she's grounded she doesn't have to go to Dad's debate! Will you tell her that if I have to go, she has to go?"

Debates were boring for Ellie and Zoey, but Abbey wasn't going to let either one of them squirm out of going. "Tell her yourself."

"She won't listen to me!"

"She will if you say it's coming from me. Tell her she knows very well that she has to go tonight and I don't want to hear another complaint about anything for the rest of the evening. She's to get herself dressed and ready and meet us downstairs at seven o'clock, just like we planned."

"Okay, but she still won't listen to me."

"You want me to talk to her?" Liz offered, knowing that her mother and sister were still at odds.

"Yes," Abbey replied with gratitude. "Anything to keep me from going back in there."

"Come on, Zo." Liz took the six-year-old's hand to lead her out of the master bedroom.

"She won't listen to you either," Zoey warned as they turned the corner to Ellie's room. "You're just a bigger version of me!"

* * *

Saint Anselm College in Manchester hosted the 1986 debate for New Hampshire's First Congressional District. The crowd was made up of family, friends, relatives, and supporters of the candidates, along with students who'd been selected by the Dean of the college to attend, and interns who served as runners for the various media outlets. They all filtered in slowly to the main auditorium while campaign staff and media pundits filed into the spin room where local journalists gathered, each at an assigned table equipped with phones, a television monitor, and two typewriters.

Abbey's parents had joined their daughter at the farmhouse so they could ride to the debate site together, and Kellie and Brad met them at the college. The only person missing was Jack. Kellie explained that he had a lot of work to catch up on at the office, but Abbey understood the subtle hint she dropped in her voice. Jed and Jack were operating on different wavelengths these days. Egos had been bruised and tension had enveloped the brothers' relationship. For Jack to miss Jed's big night, the rift had to be more serious than Jed had mentioned, Abbey realized. But there was no time to think about that now. She ushered the girls to their seats and they all settled in as the auditorium lights dimmed.

Liz had managed to convince Ellie and Zoey that the debate wasn't going to be as boring as they predicted. She made it into a game by drawing up three Bingo cards and filling in each square with different political clichés she'd picked up while working at the campaign. Every time the candidate's uttered one of the phrases on their card, they were to cross out that square with a marker. Whoever had three crosses in a row, won the game. Zoey's card was easy, scribbled with simple slogans and expressions she could understand. Ellie's card was a little more complex, but that was how she wanted it. The fun to her would be in the challenge of listening to every word of the debate just so she could hear the phrases Liz had written.

When the lights went out, they each quietly pulled out their card and their marker, sat back, and waited for the show to begin.

"Let's not pretend the protests over Seabrook have nothing to do with politics." It took only minutes for the debate to center on Seabrook. Jed's opponent, John Randall took the spotlight and ran with it. "Governor Dukakis is a man of ambition. He knows just what he's doing, reinforcing fear-mongering tactics in order to champion an issue he'll use in two years to anchor his next election, maybe even a presidential run. The question is, why would Jed Bartlet - a man who stood in the U.S. House of Representatives and pledged an oath to do right by the voters of New Hampshire - support him?"

'Voters of New Hampshire' was a phrase on Zoey's Bingo card. She gleefully crossed out the square with her marker.

"Congressman Bartlet, would you like to answer that?" the moderator asked Jed.

"For a minute there, I forgot who was moderating this debate," Jed began snidely. "Let's be clear, I don't pretend to know the motives of Governor Dukakis, but I refuse to stand here and declare they're anything less than honorable. I also don't support him out of political ambition; I support him because he's right. His refusal to submit evacuation plans for the six Massachusetts towns affected by Seabrook is within his right and jurisdiction as governor of that state, and I'd like to remind Councilman Randall that officials in the town of Hampton, New Hampshire, not influenced by Governor Dukakis, refused to submit a plan as well, citing similar safety concerns."

"Councilman Randall?"

"None of the officials in Hampton are qualified to make that determination. They're listening to politicians, like yourself, who are filling their heads with doomsday scenarios."

"Those doomsday scenarios are real. All one has to do is look at Chernobyl to see the hard, cold reality of nuclear power."

"I'm not surprised you'd invoke Chernobyl. I am surprised it took you so long." Randall looked out at the audience. "He's been pandering to the public fear spurred by the tragic events of Chernobyl, using it to convince voters he's right and the rest of us are wrong." He glanced over at Jed. "You didn't do it at first. For a while, you were the lone New Hampshire Democrat to keep an open mind about Seabrook, up until you got that death threat warning you to speak out against it. That's when you caved. Shame on you, Congressman, for allowing yourself to be some lunatic's puppet."

Although 'the tragic events of Chernobyl' was on Ellie's card, the seventh grader was too bothered by the sharp words of her father's nemesis to focus on the Bingo game. Sitting alongside her mother and sisters in the second row of the auditorium, she gave Randall the evil eye.

"All right, gentleman, I think we should move on," the moderator intervened.

"No," Jed said. "I've been accused of something and I'd like the time to respond." The moderator gave a nod. "Yeah, it's true. I was threatened regarding my stand on Seabrook, just like many other politicians in the state. It, in no way, influenced my decision. I took a tour of the plant, met with operators, met with nuclear power experts, and city leaders along the seacoast, and arrived at a decision that I know is in the best interest of New Hampshire residents. Oh and by the way, I met with them too. In your attempt to demonize me and manipulate my motives, you failed to mention that THEY - the residents you claim to want to represent - don't want this."

"Because they've been beaten over the head with photos of Chernobyl and disaster hypotheticals in the press."

"Beaten over the head with the truth you mean? No one can guarantee there will never be a disaster at Seabrook."

"There are no guarantees in life."

"Exactly." Jed was good at spin when he needed to be. "There are no guarantees that Seabrook is safe. Thank you for finally admitting it."

"I admitted no such thing. We have no reason to believe that Seabrook poses any threat to any of the coastal towns."

"Does common sense not count as a reason anymore?" He drew laughs from the crowd for that. "Don't placate the voters with fairytales, John. You can put on your tall boots and BS them until the cows come home. At the end of the day, you're not the one who has to live there."

A round of applause for Jed's handling of Randall's charge signaled the end of the exchange and gave the moderator a chance to interrupt, insisting they needed to move forward to other topics. Out in the audience, Ellie crossed out her 'tragic events of Chernobyl' square.

"Moving on to education, Congressman Bartlet, you recently signed your name to a sex education bill in Congress that would provide for birth control in public schools. Can you explain your reasons for supporting the bill?"

Fully prepared, Jed jumped right into it. "Well, to start with, it's not a bill to provide birth control. As far as I'm concerned, it's a bill to prevent sexually transmitted diseases among teenagers. It has the added benefit of providing birth control, but that isn't the reason I signed it. Two years ago, when I stood up here, we didn't know that much about AIDS. We still don't know all there is to know, but what we do know is that teenagers are not immune to this disease. They're getting it thanks to casual, unprotected sex. Anything we can do to reduce the number of teens being infected with AIDS is a good thing. The Surgeon General is speaking out about teens and AIDS later this month. I think that's exciting news. Last month, President Reagan mentioned AIDS publicly for the very first time. I don't know what took him so long, but I'm glad he's finally making it a priority. I hope that Councilman Randall will follow his lead."

"Councilman Randall?"

Zoey crossed out the box that said 'AIDS' on her Bingo card while Liz crossed out the one citing Reagan's first mention of the disease on hers.

On stage, Randall began his speech with a sneer directed at Jed. "AIDS has always been a priority for me, despite what my opponent would have you believe. Where my opinion differs is in a solution to the problem. I don't believe handing out condoms in the hallways of our high schools is the answer. In fact, I think that sends the exact opposite message. We need to go back to the basics. We need to emphasize and re-emphasize abstinence. This argument of giving kids protection because they're going to have sex anyway is absurd. Who are the parents in these households? I don't know about you, but in my house, my wife and I are the authority figures. We tell our kids what to do and they do it. It seems to me that parents who argue that we can't control our teenagers haven't done a good job parenting them."

"Rebuttal Congressman Bartlet?"

Jed looked at Randall. "Your kids tell you everything they do? They don't have secrets?"

"My kids are completely open with us. No secrets in our house."

"That you know about anyway. It would be nice if all teens did the right thing 100 percent of the time, but I've raised a teenager. I love her to death, but it's plain to see that she still has some growing to do. A teenager doesn't think like adults do. Most people don't know that the human brain isn't fully developed until the age of 25. This means that teens don't have the cognitive reasoning skills you and I do. They're still in the process of learning to analyze short-term actions and long-term consequences. They have this utopic fantasy that they're invincible, nothing bad could ever happen to them. That's why they're the age group most at risk for motor vehicle accidents, alcohol poisoning, and yes, unplanned pregnancies. They make mistakes. But I, for one, don't think they should have to die for them."

Jed earned himself another round of applause with his last sentence.

Randall waited until the crowd simmered down, then countered the argument. "I'm in favor of protecting teens. But you just gave an entire diatribe without mentioning abstinence once. Why is abstinence off the table?"

The moderator looked to Jed. "Congressman Bartlet, would you like to respond to Councilman Randall?"

Jed took a beat, then abruptly replied, "I've said all I want to say on the subject."

If it weren't for her, her father would have debated that issue without a forfeit, Liz thought. But he couldn't risk Randall digging deeper for an argument. He couldn't risk anyone knowing about her.

Taxes was next on the agenda.

Jed perked up and began the exchange. "The bipartisan bill we passed this session will raise the threshold at which people start to pay taxes. It eliminates tax shelters and increases personal exemption and standard deductions."

Ellie crossed out 'tax shelters' on her Bingo card.

"Councilman Randall, did you have an objection to the bill?"

"Not the bill, just the claim that it was bipartisan. This bill is dubbed part of the 'Reagan tax cuts' for a reason. Let's not forget that."

He was baiting Jed now. He was losing the debate and he was desperate to twist Jed's words.

Jed calmly rebuffed his statement. "My name is on that bill, Councilman. When I said it was bipartisan, I actually did mean it was bipartisan."

"Is it fair to say the two of you agree on the spirit of the bill?" the moderator asked.

"We agree," Randall said. "But there's a difference between leading the charge for change and simply following the leader."

"BINGO!"

With the word 'change,' Zoey crossed out her third square, forming a diagonal across her Bingo card. In her excitement, she shouted out her win and within seconds, all eyes were on the Bartlet family in the second row.

Abbey glared down the row at her three daughters. Liz, sitting closest to her, bowed her head to avoid her gaze, Ellie slouched down in her chair, and Zoey, still too busy celebrating her victory to worry about her mother's scowl, smiled innocently at her and shrugged.

* * *

The post-debate spin room was buzzing with activity after the candidates left the stage, most of it centered on declaring Jed the winner of this round. Surrogates took to the cameras, advocating on his behalf while the candidate, himself, charged in minutes later, flanked by staffers. Reporters from the Union Leader and the local television stations abandoned the surrogates and rushed him. Jed shook all their hands, beaming from ear to ear as he prepared to take on their questions.

"Congressman Bartlet, I was particularly impressed with your answer on sex education," the Channel 7 reporter told him.

"Thank you," Jed replied, oblivious to the fact that Abbey and Liz had just entered the room to show their support.

"I do have a question about your vote on that bill. Did you decide to support it before or after your daughter, Elizabeth, became pregnant?"

Jed's demeanor changed in the blink of an eye. His face tightened, his features flashed harsh and cold expressions as he morphed into protective father mode right in front of everyone. He learned during his first congressional election that Channel 7 wasn't a conventional news operation. They were a start-up, trying to wiggle their way into the Boston media market by employing sensationalistic, tabloid tactics the other stations rarely used. But as that question lingered in the air, every cameraman in the room kept his focus on Jed for a reply.

A second passed. And then another. And another.

Part of Liz didn't want him to answer. She wanted to hide, to protect herself and her family from the savage insults she knew were headed her way. The other part longed to hear him admit it and defend her to the press. They'd figure it out anyway and as soon as they did, they'd start hounding her. She needed him to shield her. She needed to know that he wasn't too embarrassed to admit the truth, as hard as it would be to face the publicity that would come from it. She couldn't take Jed's silence, not knowing if she was about to be pounced with questions herself. She turned on her heels and ran out unnoticed by anyone, not even her father.

TBC


	28. Chapter 28

Series: Snapshots of the Past

Story: The Candidate's Daughter

Chapter 28

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Previously: Abbey supported Liz's decision not to give her baby up for adoption; Ellie was mad at her mother for forbidding her from hanging out with her new friends; Jed turned in a stellar performance at the congressional debate; in the spin room afterwards, a reporter from Channel 7 confronted Jed about Liz's pregnancy

Summary: Everyone reacts to the press leak; the Bartlets debate whether or not Jed should quit the race

* * *

Mark Boyce had only known Jed for a year. It was Jed's reputation as a freshman member of congress, open to ideas and bipartisan compromise, that intrigued Mark, and that's why he applied to run Jed's reelection campaign. He interviewed with Jed, and when he got the job, he vetted the candidate, vetted his wife, his brother, even vetted his daughters. Mark was supposed to be Jed's most trusted election advisor, he was supposed to know everything about the Bartlet family. But as they all stood shell-shocked in the post-debate spin room the night the press cornered a tongue-tied Jed, it became clear to him that he didn't.

Was Elizabeth really pregnant? That question only stayed with him a second. He knew if it wasn't true, Jed would have rammed the reporter for making such an absurd charge. He didn't do that. Jed, like everyone else, was speechless, silenced by an accusation that made him visibly uncomfortable. His breaths grew shallow, his expression changed, and a shade of red colored his face. It felt like hours, but in reality, less than a minute had passed before Mark jumped in front of his candidate like a human shield to separate him from the cameras that crowded around him.

"We're done with questions for tonight. If you want to ask about policy, a number of campaign surrogates are in the room."

He whisked Jed off and a handful of other staffers followed.

Stunned by what had just happened, Abbey reached for Liz only to circle around herself when she realized Liz wasn't there. Seconds earlier, her eldest daughter was at her side, but she'd slipped away unnoticed and was nowhere to be found. Abbey refused to call out her name for fear of drawing the press's attention, so she simply scanned the room, and when she couldn't spot her, she bolted in a fury, out of the spin room and toward the main auditorium.

"ABBEY!" her father shouted for her.

"I can't find Liz," Abbey said, sounding desperate.

"She just ran by. She's very upset."

"Where did she go?"

"My mom offered to take her back to the farm," Brad told her.

"Abbey, what happened?" Mary asked. "Liz looked horrified. I chased her to the parking lot to find out what's wrong, but she didn't want to talk."

"I can't get into it right now." Abbey handed her father her car keys. "Dad, would you mind pulling the car up? I'm going to tell Jed we have to go."

* * *

"He told the press!" Liz cried as she sat in the passenger's seat of Kellie's car. "I thought he loved me! How could he do that? How could he hurt me like this?"

"Sweetheart, you don't know that it was Doug."

"No one else knew except family!"

"What about your friends at Wellesley?" Kellie handed her a tissue.

"I didn't have any friends at Wellesley! The only person I told was my roommate Cassie. The rest of those snobs might have suspected, but they didn't know for sure."

Her thoughts trailed off at the painful reminder of the prying eyes and hurtful whispers of the girls in her dorm, who had gossiped behind her back after she quit school. She'd found out when she returned to Wellesley to officially drop her classes and pick up the last of her financial aid papers. She'd stopped by her dorm to see Cassie and that's when she heard the other girls coming down the hall, their laughter echoing from around the corner. They put on their best smiles when they saw Liz, but she sensed them inspecting her from head to toe, and seconds after they passed, the whispers started, followed by a giggle and a weak protest from one of the girls who attempted to hush them until they were out of the building.

_"You told them, Cass!" Liz had accused her friend._

_"I swear, I didn't tell anyone! I wouldn't do that to you!"_

_"Then how do they know?"_

_"It's a common bathroom, Liz. They heard you getting sick one morning. They heard you crying. They also heard you fighting with Doug on the phone about what to do about your 'problem.' They could see how upset you were. You never came to study group and no one ever saw you studying by yourself, then you up and quit."_

_"So they guessed and then you told?"_

_"Anything they think they know, they figured out on their own. I never confirmed a thing."_

Liz had left campus that day more sure than ever that she couldn't return to school. Opinions mattered, and as much as she wanted to believe that she was above caring what anyone said about her, it was a lie. Liz did care. She cared at college just as much as she cared tonight when the media ambushed her father. The problem was, she managed to escape the gossip at Wellesley. How could she ever escape the gossip in her own hometown?

* * *

An eerie silence fell over the holding room Jed's staff had taken him to. They ushered him in and Mark closed the door behind them. Brooke, who had been on the phone with the DC office while the others were in the spin room, hung up as soon as she saw them. All eyes were on the candidate, but no one said a word as they waited anxiously for him to explain. Jed looked around the room and realized he had to come clean.

"It's true," he said.

"What's true?" Brooke asked.

"Elizabeth's pregnant," Mark told her before addressing Jed again. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because it's none of your business!" Jed barked at him. "It's none of theirs either!"

"They're going to make it their business. You just got through defending your vote on teen sex education and now your daughter..."

"STOP right there! She was an 18-year-old coed in a monogamous relationship. Let's not treat it like we're talking about a stoned ninth grader having sex under the bleachers at the Homecoming game, okay?"

"No one in this room is treating it that way. You know how we all feel about Elizabeth. But the press can only report on what they know..."

"They don't get to know whatever the hell they want about me and my family!"

"They already do! And they know more than we do, that's for damn sure. Why didn't you tell us? We're out there every day trying to help you win this election and you didn't trust us? If you had told us what was going on, we could have protected you and Elizabeth. At the very least, we wouldn't have been broadsided tonight."

There was a certain measure of respect they all used with Jed. Even now, Mark's tone was calm, despite Jed's rage about the whole thing.

"I've had this for 10 days."

"Do you know how long 10 days is in the life of a campaign?"

"What was I supposed to do, conduct a strategy session with all of you when I've barely had time to get used to it myself?"

Brooke sidestepped that question in an attempt to move the conversation forward. "All right, this is going nowhere. Am I clear that the press confronted him?"

"They got him," Mark confirmed.

"We'll hear that soundbyte on the evening broadcasts," another aide, Ethan, said.

"What soundbyte? There is no soundbyte. They asked the question and there was nothing...just dead silence until we jumped in."

And that was even worse, Jed thought to himself. This was exactly what Jack had warned about. Someone tipped off the media, the media cornered him, and the people hired to protect him from scandal were inadequately prepared to do their jobs. It would turn into a circus. On the heels of an overwhelming victory in his last debate of the election, his performance would be overshadowed as his enemies set out for blood. All anyone would be talking about is his daughter's sex life, they'd make sure of it. Forget the issues and the things that really matter to voters, forget everything but destroying a young woman's reputation and crushing her spirit all for political gain. It enraged him, what was about to happen to Liz.

He paced the floor, hearing the exchange between his staffers - who were furiously mapping out a plan - but only comprehending half of what they were saying. He was in his own little world, in the mindset of a concerned father instead of a remorseful politician.

It was then that Abbey opened the door. Jed took one look at her and knew that she'd already heard.

"Where's Liz?" he asked, approaching his wife.

"Kellie took her back to the farm."

"Good."

"Jed, how big a deal is this really? I mean, it's a congressional race. You're not running for president and Lizzie's not 12."

Jed deferred to Mark, who answered gently, "Everyone who was here covering the debate tonight will report on it, if for no other reason than your husband got slammed with it in the spin room. They'll present it like it was the most dramatic thing that could have happened - 'a new twist in the race for Congress.' They'll use Jed's sex ed vote against him."

"The sex education program is relevant to high school. Liz didn't get pregnant in high school."

"She's barely out of high school."

Jed jumped in then, "Look, it's too soon to know how it'll play. It might fizzle right away or it could grow legs; there's no way to tell. The only thing we know for sure is that anyone following politics in New Hampshire will know about it tomorrow."

"She was there, you know," Abbey informed him. "Liz."

"Where?"

"In the spin room."

"Tell me she left before they questioned her." Relieved when Abbey nodded, he went on, "She's home now?"

"Yeah, which is where I'm going. That's what I came to tell you."

"I'm coming with you."

That was out of the question as far as Mark was concerned. "Congressman..."

Jed cut him off with a wave of his hand. "I won't be of any use to you until I talk to my daughter."

"This will be on the air on every channel tonight. We can't just ignore it."

"He's right, Jed," Abbey said carefully. "If the press is going to play this up like he says, they're not going to wait until you get your house in order. Besides, as upset as Liz is, chances are she's not ready to talk to you about it tonight."

"So what are you saying? I should stay here and hammer out a strategy for a campaign that probably won't exist after tomorrow?"

As much as Abbey wanted to disagree with that statement, she couldn't. She and Jed had discussed what a life in public service would mean - media intrusion, constant scrutiny, being held to a higher standard - they could deal with all of that when it involved just the two of them. But today, a new line had been crossed, a barrier had been breached. They had tried to protect their daughters from the ugly side of politics and today, they discovered that they couldn't. Seeing Liz tangled up in a news cycle dedicated to soiling her reputation changed the game, forever.

"You should come up with an exit strategy," she advised him sadly before giving him a kiss on the cheek and leaving him behind to confer with his staff.

* * *

"I hope now you'll reconsider letting Elizabeth come live with us for a while."

Mary picked the wrong time to nudge her daughter. Abbey explained the situation to both her parents on the drive home that night, but she didn't expect nor want suggestions on what to do next, especially when it involved Mary's standing offer to Liz about moving out of the family home.

Abbey looked at her mother through the rearview mirror. "Elizabeth is 18. She can do what she wants and last I checked, she wanted to live at the farm."

Sensing his daughter's irritated tone, James intervened, "Your mom's just trying to help."

"I know and I appreciate it, but Jed and I are her parents. We'll get her through this."

They pulled up and parked outside the garage. Abbey helped her younger daughters out of the car, then hurried up the porch steps and through the front door.

"Liz?"

"She's upstairs in bed," Kellie confided.

"How is she?"

"Devastated. She thinks it was Doug who told the press."

"Why would he do a thing like that?" James Barrington rarely let his temper show, but like Jed, he was protective of his family and when someone hurt them, his usual calm demeanor collapsed into rage.

"Let's not try and convict him before we know all the facts, Dad," Abbey cautioned her father. "Doug is many things, but as far as I know, he's never been vindictive."

All along, she'd regretted intercepting that phone call from Doug during Ellie's birthday party, but her regret was even stronger tonight as she wondered what he'd been calling about. Was he calling to sweet-talk Liz, like Abbey had assumed, or was he calling to warn them that someone else knew that Liz was pregnant? The guilt that Abbey felt for not telling Liz multiplied ten-fold thanks to the doubt that crawled through her mind.

* * *

Jed was a gifted debater. He had no trouble taking on his opponents in the past, whether it was in the primaries or the general election. Debate night had its own formula for him - he'd make his case, impress his supporters, and pick up fence-straddlers won over by his intelligence and charisma. And then came the post-debate adrenaline rush that proved Abbey right for citing all those studies about explosive testosterone levels among successful politicians. Once they were home and the kids were in bed, husband and wife would retire upstairs for their own private bedroom celebration.

It was a sure bet that wasn't going to happen tonight though. Despite his victory in the debate, the evening was ruined the second he discovered that news of Liz's pregnancy had been leaked to the press. From that moment on, Jed didn't feel like a politician; the only role he embraced was that of a father, a furious one, driven to protect his little girl.

He watched the late-night news at campaign headquarters surrounded by staffers still mapping out a strategy in hopes that he wouldn't drop out of the race. But Jed didn't participate. He couldn't. It was futile. He was determined to spare Liz the scrutiny of unforgiving critics on a mission to embarrass her.

But then something happened. He listened to the news reports and the pundits who agreed to be interviewed. His stomach turned. A vile metallic taste that rose from his throat made him nauseous. They didn't blast Liz or call her any names, but just the fact that these people thought it was their right to pry into a young woman's love life and broadcast it to the world filled him with outrage. He might have been angry with Liz for getting pregnant, he might have even judged her. But he was her father, the man who loved her and only wanted the best for her. His judgment was out of concern, not malice. The bastards on television didn't give a damn about her. They ridiculed her for sport, and the longer Jed watched, the more intense the outrage grew, until his temper reached its boiling point and he stormed out of the room in fury.

He returned to the farm late that night. Abbey had left the porch light on, but the house was nearly dark, the only glow coming from their bedroom. He traipsed in and closed the door behind him, then quietly took the stairs, stopping by Liz's room first. He poked his head in and whispered her name. Knowing her as well as he did, he assumed she was trying to feign sleep when he didn't get a response. Liz was her father's daughter, after all; something like this would have kept her tossing and turning all night, just as it would Jed. But he resisted the urge to call her on it. She'd been through enough for one day.

He closed her door and headed to the master bedroom room instead, where he found Abbey curled up in their bed under the blanket. How could she sleep when all he wanted to do was talk, he wondered. Disappointed, he tiptoed toward her, stared down at her pretty face, and kneeled to drop a kiss to her cheek. As he rose to his feet, she stirred.

"I'm up," she said.

"You looked sound asleep."

"I was pretending to get a kiss out of you." She smiled at him, but it was clear that he wasn't in the mood. "Do I have to ask how it went?"

He pulled off his suit jacket. "Terrible, that's how it went. My staff's pissed that I didn't tell them."

"Did you explain that you've only known less than two weeks?"

"Yeah, but that doesn't matter. We got ambushed."

"So what now?"

"Nothing, until I figure out if we're moving forward with the campaign."

That surprised Abbey. "You're still considering it?"

"I wasn't until I heard the news broadcasts."

"And that changed your mind?"

"Remember what you told me about Elliot Roush when he went after you in my first campaign?"

"What part?"

"The part about me dropping out. You said that if I drop out, I'll be sending a message that the way to bring a politician down is to attack his family; that that's how you get rid of your opponents. That's how you get them out of the race. It's as true now as it was then."

"It's different, Jed. That was about us. You and I knew what we were getting ourselves into. Liz never signed up for this," Abbey reminded him.

"Yeah and I get that, but..."

"We always agreed that they can say what they want about us. We draw the line at the kids."

"I still believe that."

"Then why are you considering it?"

"Because no matter what I do, the story isn't going away. It's out there now. They'll milk it for weeks. They'll ignore all the unemployment, welfare, the drugs in our schools, the dropout rate. The pregnancy of an 18-year-old girl will be the centerpiece of every political talk show covering this race regardless of whether or not I continue my campaign."

"Why does anyone even care?"

"They don't care. They'll cover it anyway because it's the 80s and sexual education programs for teens have become the latest controversy thanks to AIDS. I signed that damn sex ed bill. They can criticize my decision and, by extension, the bill itself by pointing to Elizabeth as an example of my failure as a parent."

"That's the most ridiculous thing I've heard."

He approached her with his wrist out so she could help him with his cufflinks.

"Randall will eat it up and he'll make sure everyone else does too. Politicians pander to the media and the media panders to scandal because the viewers crave it. It's all about ratings."

"Can we sue?" Abbey asked as she finished unfastening his cufflinks.

"For what, slander? They're not saying anything that isn't true, and they're going to say it whether I'm in the race or not. They consider Liz fair game because she's over 18 and she hit the campaign trail on my behalf."

"Once, Jed! One time, she led a GOTV event before the primary! Aside from that, she was just an intern."

"I didn't say she IS fair game. I'm saying that's how they view her. Also, she's not a minor anymore. I can't protect her unless I stay in the race. If I bail, this is what they'll focus on."

"If you bail, there's no need to discredit you as a parent or a politician. Why wouldn't that just stop the insanity?"

"It's October. Don't you see? The filing date has passed. It's too late to replace me on the ballot. If I quit, I'll hand the Republicans a victory and that's what they'll analyze for months. I can see the headline now - 'Bartlet hands election to Randall amid rumors of teen daughter's pregnancy.' "

"And if you run?"

"If I run, I control the story. At least part of it. They'll cover the race itself, they'll cover my ideas, my plans for the district, and yeah, Liz will be brought up, but I can support her and then veer the conversation to other things."

"And what if it doesn't turn out that way? What if they continue to focus on Liz?"

"That could happen too."

"Then what?"

"I don't know. I can't predict the future, Abbey. All I can say with certainty is that we have two options right now - back down and quit, let them say whatever they want while we remain silent, or fight back, stand up for Liz, and make them regret ever dragging her into this."

"Fine, then let me ask you another question: how are you going to stand up for Liz when you can barely acknowledge what's going on?"

There it was, the very thing Jack had been saying all along. Jed didn't expect it from Abbey. "I've acknowledged it."

"Only to Liz and to me. When the press asked you if she was pregnant, you froze."

"I wasn't expecting the question. I wasn't prepared to answer it publicly."

"You get questions you're not prepared for everyday. You never freeze like that."

"I don't usually get questions about my family!" he replied harshly before he took a breath and added more calmly, "I didn't know what to say."

"I'm not judging you; I'm making an observation. You're not thinking this through."

"I am."

"Even before the press cornered you, you had a hard time with this. Remember when my parents found out? You said we shouldn't shout it from the rooftops."

"We're not the ones shouting now. The press has already done that for us. What I'm saying is we shouldn't let them beat us down because of it. If I drop out, what message am I sending Liz?"

"Forgive me for saying this honey, but I think you already sent her a message. You froze in front of her. She was there. She saw the whole thing."

"She understands why I didn't answer."

"What she understands is that you didn't stand up for her." Jed sat down on the edge of the bed and Abbey climbed up on her knees behind him, draping her arms over his shoulders and placing a kiss on his cheek. "All I'm doing is criticizing, I'm sorry. I just want you to really think about this. If you go through with the race, you're going to have to show her your support - completely, without reservation."

"I do support her," he said. "I do."

No father loved his kids more than Jed did. It was a given that that love was unconditional, but this wasn't about love. It was about acceptance, and as hard as he tried to accept Liz's pregnancy, Abbey believed he still hadn't come to terms with it. She blamed it mostly on the circumstances themselves, but she acknowledged some of it was the result of the natural progression in a father/daughter relationship when 'daddy's little girl' suddenly grows up. Just as she'd witnessed with her own father when she was Elizabeth's age, Jed struggled to define his role in their daughter's life - at 18, she was no longer in need of being parented in the traditional sense, but Jed hadn't yet embraced the parameters of their new relationship, and that fueled the helplessness he felt now that she was pregnant. He feared the birth of a child would change and alter her dreams, that she'd never return to college, convincing herself she was satisfied with trading in her academic and professional ambitions for motherhood, and what really stung was the fear that all he had the power to do was stand as a silent spectator, cheering her on from the sidelines. For a man so devoted to bolstering his children and protecting them from life's heartbreaks, that wasn't going to be easy. It was going to be quite difficult in fact, and the last thing Abbey wanted at a time like this was for the campaign cameras to spotlight his internal conflict.

* * *

The minutes ticked away that night. Elizabeth checked the digital clock on her nightstand every half hour as she rolled around restlessly in her bed. When she realized the idea of sleep was hopeless, she kicked her covers aside and rose to her feet to grab the gray sweatpants flung over her desk and a matching sweatshirt to pull over the tank top she'd worn to bed. She reached for a pair of running shoes in her closet and took off, down the stairs and out the front door as quietly as humanly possible. Out on the porch, she gathered her hair into a high ponytail, secured it with a scrunchie, then aimed her eyes in the direction of the orchard as she began a steady jog.

One of the perks of living on a farm was the peace and quiet Liz never appreciated as a child. Born in London and raised in London, then Boston, her earliest years were spent with traffic and car horns lulling her to sleep at night. Then at the age of seven, Abbey matched into a surgical residency at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center and Jed was offered a position down the street at Dartmouth College. The family moved to Hanover, a rural town on the Connecticut River. With only 9,000 residents, the majority college students, professors, and medical professionals, Hanover was a far cry from London and Boston. But Liz learned to adapt.

By the time she got used to it, her parents were ready to move again. Manchester was supposed to be different. Jed and Abbey hoped New Hampshire's largest town would entice their 'city girl,' and it might have, if their new home, the Bartlet farm, wasn't located on the outskirts of town, barely within the city limits, on acres and acres of private land that, to a 12-year-old, felt like a deserted island on the edge of civilization. She hated leaving her friends 'to live in seclusion,' she had complained.

"Awasiwi Odanack," is what her father called it.

It meant 'far from the things of man' or 'beyond the village,' depending on who Jed was talking to at the time he shared the definition. Liz used to tease him about it, but whatever the meaning, she never understood the appeal. She was a people-person, just like her dad. Why would she want to live in the middle of nowhere? Why would he, for that matter?

"It's the best of both worlds," she remembered Jed telling her once. "A short car ride to the center of downtown Manchester, the business district, museums, the theater, arts and entertainment. But once you get off the highway and take that single-lane country road, you step into your own private oasis, far away from the rest of the world."

What didn't make sense at the time made sense to her now, she had to admit as her jog turned into a sprint, her legs powered by adrenaline and autumn leaves crunching furiously under her feet. There was something to be said for seclusion. She wasn't a child anymore, and if she wanted to be shielded from the outside world, she had to set up her own barricades. The farm could become her private oasis, she thought. It would shelter her, offer her a measure of protection against the gossip and rumors that tormented her. The longer she maintained an existence limited to the boundaries of the property, the longer she could avoid everyone - the press, the girls in her dorm at Wellesley, even concerned relatives and old friends from church and high school that she was too ashamed to face. She couldn't just lay low; she had to slip into the shadows at the farm and hide.

A burst of anger exploded inside her then. Hide? She was a step away from talking herself into becoming a hermit, and all for what? This was HER life. Why were others in control of it? What right did the press have to invade her privacy and print or broadcast intimate details about her? What right did they have to reveal her secrets? She stopped running. She wanted to hit someone. She wanted to scream. Out of breath and seething, she swung at the air in frustration, then kicked a tree so hard that she thought she broke her toe. Hot tears stung her eyes and she collapsed under the tree, sobbing as she removed her shoe and sock. It was blue and swollen, that toe that throbbed. But the physical pain was nothing compared to how she felt on the inside, the anger and shame that came from knowing that she'd soon be the talk of the town - the daughter of Jed Bartlet, young, unmarried, and pregnant with what they'd label a bastard child. People would think she slept around. They'd call her names and gossip behind her back. She'd hear them whisper at the supermarket, just as she did at Wellesley, and once again, she'd run like a coward.

She hated herself for running. She'd replayed the scene from Wellesley a thousand times in her mind and in her recreations, she never once ran. She always confronted them, asked them why they were staring at her, why they were whispering and laughing. She'd then come clean, admitting the unmentionable, and stealing their power right out from under their noses. She wasn't 15 and clueless, she'd say. She was an adult, legally capable of making her own decisions. Some kids went off to war at 18. Some got married. So what if she got pregnant by a longtime boyfriend? That didn't make her a slut. The girls would be shocked silent as she told them that Doug was the only man she'd ever slept with, the only one she ever thought she loved, and if they weren't mature enough to understand that and offer empathy instead of scorn to one of their peers, then maybe they belonged back in high school with the rest of the catty little girls not yet ready for the real world.

It felt good to stand up for herself, even if it was in her own imagination. Once upon a time, Liz had the courage to do it in real life too. But now, that courage was gone and all she could do was lean back against the tree and look up at the stars twinkling in the navy blue sky as she thought about the headlines being printed for the morning paper, headlines that would humiliate her and embarrass her father, ruining his chances for reelection.

* * *

Liz wasn't the only one having a sleepless night. Up in the master bedroom, Jed tossed and turned until he finally gave up and climbed out of bed. He slipped his feet into his slippers and grabbed his robe from the foot of the bed, then left the room, careful not to wake Abbey. Although how she could sleep at a time like this was beyond him. It was the surgeon in her. She learned early in residency that to survive, she had to close her eyes and rest her body and mind whenever the opportunity arose, regardless of any emotional stress weighing her down.

It was a shame politicians didn't live by the same code, Jed thought.

As he reached the hall, he stood still to spy his middle daughter sneaking out of her room. She had on a pair of jeans, a long-sleeved autumn tee, and a jean jacket. Her sock-clad feet tiptoed on the hardwood floor and she held her sneakers in her hand to avoid making too much noise. The sight shocked him. Despite her recent behavior, Ellie wasn't a rebellious child. Jed never expected to catch her in an act of blatant defiance.

He snuck up behind her. "I could swear we have rules in this house, and I could swear one of those rules is, you don't sneak out in the middle of the night."

Ellie stopped in her tracks. She let out a frustrated breath before she turned around to face him. "Please don't tell Mom."

She was already in hot water with Abbey thanks to the conflict over her friends, but Jed cut to the chase without letting her manipulate him into keeping her secret. "Where do you think you're going?"

"My paper route."

"I thought Mom made you give that up when you got in trouble at school."

"She did."

"Then you've got two seconds to tell me the truth about where you were planning to go."

"I did tell you the truth! Gary's the guy taking over my route and I know where he picks up the papers."

"So?"

"So, I was gonna beat him there."

"Why?"

"To bring the papers home." She hesitated, then shyly, she said, "So he couldn't deliver them."

"You don't want Gary to deliver the papers because of what's in there about Lizzie?"

"It's not right! It's her business that she's pregnant! No one else has a right to know unless she wants them to!"

A minute ago, Jed was on the brink of screaming at Ellie. Now, all he wanted to do was hug her for looking out for her big sister. "I don't like it any more than you do."

"Then let me go and don't tell Mom." She turned from him.

"I can't do that." He grabbed her upper arm to turn her back around. "Stealing everyone's paper isn't the answer, Ellie."

"Why not?"

"Because they'll find out anyway. Your route isn't that big. If someone doesn't get their paper, they'll just go to the newsstand a few blocks away. And what about television? Can you keep it off the news broadcasts or the local political shows? How about the radio? The story's out there. People are going to know."

"Lizzie doesn't want them to know. She should have a choice in this."

"Yes, she should."

"It's not fair that she doesn't," Ellie grumbled.

"You're right, it's not."

"This is why I hate politics!"

Jed realized that outburst was out of concern for Liz, not criticism of him for running for office. He brushed it off and continued, "This is the ugly side of it, I can't argue with you there."

"What are we going to do about it?"

"WE aren't going to do anything. Your job is to take care of you. Let your mother and me worry about what to do."

"I'm supposed to forget about it?"

"For now, yes. You need to go to bed. Tomorrow's a long day." He placed both his hands on her shoulders and guided her back to her room.

"But how can I go to bed?"

"Say your prayers, close your eyes, and Mr. Sandman will take care of the rest."

"Dad."

"Seriously, Ellie, I don't want you worrying yourself over this. It happened, but it'll be okay."

"How do you know?"

"I just do. Try to get some rest. We'll talk about it in the morning."

"It is the morning," Ellie reminded him.

"Then we'll talk about it later," he promised. "I'm proud of you for wanting to protect your sister."

"A lot of good it did." As Ellie took off her jean jacket, Jed handed her the pajamas she'd thrown on her dresser.

"We'll get through it," he said. "Try to put it out of your mind for now." He dropped a kiss to the top of her head. "Sweet dreams."

He left her with that, giving her privacy to change into her PJs and climb into bed.

He then walked downstairs and retrieved a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from the coat closet. It was still dark out, but it wouldn't be for long. It was almost dawn. Soon, the sun would cast its rays over the farm with streaks of red, yellow, and gold warming the pastures chilled by the cold October air. He wiggled a cigarette between his lips and stepped onto the front porch to light it. He took a drag, then a deep breath of fresh air, his hands resting on the railing as he scanned the landscape.

"You're going to give yourself lung cancer," a female voice fussed at him.

A jolted Jed spun around to see Elizabeth sitting on the porch swing behind him. How could he have missed her when he walked out of the house, he wondered. "What are you doing?"

"I couldn't sleep," she told him, her feet touching the deck just enough to cause her to sway.

"How long have you been out here?"

"A while."

Jed joined her on the two-person swing and out of respect for her and the baby, crushed his cigarette in an ashtray. "I know it feels like the end of the world, but it's not."

"It's the end of the world I knew, the one where I was just boring Elizabeth Bartlet."

He gave a small laugh at that. "You've never been boring, Lizzie. You always kept your mother and me on our toes."

"You know what I mean, Dad." She wasn't in the mood for teasing.

"It's none of their business what you do."

"Whether it is or not, everyone will know. Everyone will have an opinion."

"This will run its course. In a couple of days, it'll all be over."

Liz could predict the news cycle just as well as Jed. "No, it won't."

A long, awkward silence passed between them.

"I'm dropping out of the race," he said. He then returned her silent stare, trying to read her expression, predict what she was thinking, and having no luck whatsoever. "What?"

"You'd rather drop out of the race than admit I'm pregnant."

"That's not it."

"Being a congressman, that's what you do. You love dealing with people, you love advocating for them, speaking out against injustice, fighting to get laws passed. It's in your blood. And you'd rather give it up and walk away than acknowledge the baby I'm carrying."

"You're taking it all wrong..."

"I'm not going to stop being pregnant just because you pretend it's not true."

"STOP, all right! Just stop! That's not why I'm dropping out of the race."

"Then why?"

"To spare you the embarrassment," he replied instantly without meaning to sound insensitive and regretting it when he thought it did. "I'm sorry, sweetheart."

"It's not going to stop them. They're going to say what they're going to say regardless. They think I'm a teenage whore."

"What did I tell you about using those words?"

"It's true."

"No, it's not!" he barked at her. "When you call yourself those names, you give everyone out there permission to do it. That's not you, Lizzie. I know you. I know you better than you know yourself sometimes and I know what an outstanding young woman you are."

"Even now?"

"Yes, even now."

Her self-esteem issues ran deeper than Jed realized. He knew she was depressed and lonely, that she was overly emotional because of the break-up with Doug, the pregnancy hormones, and the turmoil in the house, but this wasn't the same Lizzie. His Lizzie was spunky and sassy. She was a little firecracker, just like her mother, and she wouldn't have allowed herself to be bullied into submission. Jed would have given anything to give her back the grace and confidence she once had.

He stood and returned to the railing, leaning his back on it this time with his arms folded against his chest and his stare directed at his daughter. "Do you want me to prove I can admit you're pregnant? I'll pick up the phone right now and call the editor of the Union Leader."

"You don't have to do that."

"Apparently I do, if it's the only way to show you that while I'm not quite used to this yet, I'm not ashamed to call you my daughter." He couldn't stand the thought of Liz thinking that.

"Fine, you're not ashamed that I'm your daughter. You're still dropping out of the race because of my screw-up."

"Do you want me to run? If you want me to run, say the word."

"You already decided not to."

"Only because I thought it would be the best thing for you. I didn't want to make your life any harder. The truth is, I went back and forth on it a hundred times. After your mother and I discussed it last night, I laid awake in bed agonizing over it. I'm still not certain of my decision."

"Why?"

"Because it shouldn't be just my decision. Because of the leak, you're the one who's going to be affected most by what I do. You should get a vote."

"You want me to tell you what to do?"

"Yeah, as a matter of fact, I do. If you want me to run, I will. If you'd rather I drop out and ignore the whole thing, I'm willing to do that too. The ball is in your court."

"Wouldn't dropping out be like running away? And didn't you tell me the other day that you didn't raise me to run away from my problems?"

"Circumstances are different this time. It's not just about you and me and the rest of the family. This is about the public, people who have no right to the details of your life. No one would blame you for wanting to keep your privacy in this case."

Liz took a beat to absorb her options. She then shrugged and asked, "So what would happen if you continued to campaign?"

"It'll be rough at first. 'No comment' will only play for so long. And as much as I want to keep you out of this, I can't deny it; I don't give a damn about the press, but I can't lie to the district. You understand that, right?"

"I don't want you to lie."

"What do you want?"

"I don't know."

"Yes, you do. Watching your expression just now, you're saying it with your eyes."

"Saying what?"

"You want me to admit it. But you don't want me to do it only because you asked me to. Am I right?"

Liz gave him a hesitant nod. "Maybe."

"It'll be a relief to you not to have to hide from it anymore. And if you have my support, people might leave you alone. Is that what you're thinking?"

"It crossed my mind." She put her feet up on the swing, folding her knees under her chin. "I'm just scared that it won't work out like that. I'm scared it'll backfire."

"It might," Jed agreed. "Then again, it might not."

"The odds aren't in my favor."

"I won't let them hurt you, Elizabeth. I've been in your corner your entire life, both privately and publicly. That hasn't changed. If I run, I'll be your biggest advocate on the campaign trail. I'll tell them the truth."

"What truth?"

"The real truth...about you. I'll tell them how when you were four, you ran home in tears, carrying a bird with an injured wing. The kids at the park were chasing it because it couldn't fly away and you insisted that we let you care for it until the wing healed and you could set it free outside without fear of anyone hurting it. I'll tell them how at age seven, you were so upset about the kids that Mom told you about who would spend the holidays in the pediatric surgical wing at Dartmouth-Hitchcock that you convinced me to drive you all over town, looking for a store that was open on Christmas Eve so you could buy them all cards and small little trinkets to take to them at the hospital on Christmas morning, and how when you were 10, you were the only one in your school to receive two presidential awards at the end of the year, one for your straight A's and the other for organizing a Thanksgiving clothing drive so that you and your classmates could donate winter coats to homeless children living in shelters, or at 15, when you spearheaded a Halloween bake sale - that I, personally, baked stuff for - with all the money going to pay for prom so that juniors and seniors who couldn't afford the outrageous ticket prices didn't have to miss out on one of the most special events of high school, or how..."

"Okay, Dad. I got it." Of all the things he mentioned, it was the reminder of her father baking cookies and brownies for the prom admission bake sale that drew a smile out of Liz.

"The point is, they're focusing on your pregnancy because that's all they know about you. I'll tell them the rest and then they'll see, just like I do, that eighteen years of excellence can't be reduced to one mistake. That's not the sum of who you are."

His last statement wasn't just for Liz's benefit, or for the benefit of the press even. Jed hadn't looked at it that way either until he began to verbally outline her activities. Her enormous heart, her concern for others, her selflessness and empathy - all those traits that made her a sweet, caring child were part of her character. They were the essence of who she was as a person. Jed had already forgiven her for her lies, but out on the porch that chilly October morning is when he forgave her for everything, and remembered why he'd always been so proud to call her his daughter in the first place.

TBC


	29. Chapter 29

Series: Snapshots of the Past

Story: The Candidate's Daughter

Chapter 29

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Previously: Jed's staff pulled him out of the spin room before he answered the flurry of questions about Liz's pregnancy; Abbey had doubts about Jed running for re-election under the circumstances; Jed was ready to throw in the towel until a talk with Elizabeth convinced him not to; when Doug called during Ellie's birthday party, Abbey hung up on him (Chapter 25)

Summary: Jed continues his campaign; Doug returns to convince Liz he wasn't the one who sold her out to the press; Jed is furious when he hears that Liz is out with Doug and later, Liz and Doug's reconciliation leads to more problems between Liz and her family

* * *

Politics had played a prominent role in the Bartlet family for nearly four years. It all began when Jed was asked to run for the U.S. House of Representatives during a visit to D.C. to honor the Nobel Laureates in 1982. As a part-time legislator in the New Hampshire State House who never had his sights set on the Beltway, Jed struggled with the decision to run. It was in his genes, Abbey had told him. She could see the spark in his eyes, the light that shined at the thought of becoming a national voice for the people of his state. She made the pledge to support him on the endeavor, and so they spent many nights hammering out the logistics before and after his crowning moment.

It was difficult at first, the long distance phone calls, the nights spent alone in bed, the weekend visits that always ended too early. Then came the miscarriage and things just got harder. But eventually, the whole family adjusted and the idea of re-election wasn't as inconceivable as it once had been. It was a given that Jed would run again, and until this summer, Abbey looked forward to watching him win his second term.

It was the death threat that gave her doubts. She understood that politicians were often targeted by bullies who wanted to control them. She understood it came with the territory of public office. Other politicians had lived through it, Jed had told her. But the problem for her was that other politicians weren't her husband. They weren't the father of her children. Still, she never asked Jed to end his campaign. She couldn't do that to him, knowing how much he enjoyed his job. She buried her feelings and moved forward, determined to help him carve out a landslide victory.

It took one night, one incident, for things to change.

Still feeling the scorch of the burn from the spin-room press, Abbey expressed her concerns to Jed when he came home after the debate. And when they'd fallen asleep, she assumed the decision had been made - he wouldn't run for fear of shining a spotlight on their daughter at a time when all she wanted was her privacy.

The last thing Abbey expected to hear when she woke up the next morning was Jed's new strategy for the election. He spoke with an enthusiasm she hadn't heard in weeks, explaining that his twilight conversation with Liz had changed everything. Abbey was stunned to learn that he'd chosen to stick with the campaign, with Liz's blessing, and she listened as he planned out the next few days while they moved around the house gathering their belongings for work.

When they reached the kitchen, Jed headed directly for the phone and dialed Mrs. Wilburforce while Abbey grabbed a glass from the cupboard and waited for him to end the call.

"Okay, we'll see you then. Thanks again." Jed hung up the phone and turned to her, smiling. "Mrs. Wilburforce will be here in a few minutes to get the girls off to school."

"I'm sure she enjoyed being woken up at 5 a.m."

"I told you, I have to get to work early, and I don't want Liz out and about today in case that sleazy Channel 7 reporter is on the prowl."

Abbey shook the carton of orange juice she'd gotten out of the fridge. "It's going to be a long three weeks if your plan is to keep Liz prisoner in the house."

"It's for her own good. I don't want her confronted before I've had a chance to talk to my staff and figure out my next step."

"YOUR next step?"

"What? You think Liz should be part of that discussion?"

"I'm sure you'll tell her about it after the fact, like you always do with me."

"Where did that come from?" She raised her brow as she turned from him and returned the juice to the fridge. "Are you upset about this?"

"About what? I wake up to hear you're running again. No conversation, no nothing. Just 'guess what, I'm not dropping out of the race' and on with the morning as if nothing happened."

"Here we go." He hated passive aggressiveness this early in the morning. "Look Abbey..."

"You made the decision to run. I understood you the first time." She grabbed a grapefruit and a knife. "Just because you and I decided something completely different last night..."

"We didn't decide anything last night. We talked."

"More accurately, I talked...and you agreed. I said that Liz is too fragile right now, that she can't take this. You agreed with me."

"I agreed before I spoke to her," Jed replied. "She's not as fragile as you think. I know she's been depressed lately, but you should have seen her this morning. She was on fire! Toward the end there, I swear I saw shades of the old Lizzie!"

"That's great," Abbey said, unconvinced. "Meanwhile, she broke down at her doctor's appointment yesterday."

"She did?"

"Yeah, she did."

"You told me the baby's okay."

"The baby IS okay. That isn't why she fell apart. She started sobbing, saying she couldn't give her up. She wants to keep her."

Though he assumed Liz would eventually reach that decision, Jed was relieved. "You and I talked about it. We want her to keep it. You told her that, right?"

"Of course, but it still took me 10 minutes to calm her down."

"Hormones," he shrugged. "Don't make it more than it is."

"Me? You're the one overestimating one conversation."

"No, I'm not. I know our daughter."

"When she told us she was pregnant, you said she'd changed so much, you didn't even recognize her. Now you know her so well, you know she's not lying?" Abbey began to slice her grapefruit.

"Why would she lie about this?"

"Liz has always wanted to please you, Jed. She wants you to be proud of her. Two weeks ago, she broke your heart. She'd say and do anything right now to make you happy."

"That's not what's going on here."

Jed and Abbey turned to see Liz standing at the kitchen entryway.

"How long have you been there?" Jed asked.

"Long enough to hear you guys arguing about what I want." Liz addressed her mother. "I'm not just trying to please Dad. The ship's already sailed on that endeavor, don't you think?"

"We were having a private conversation," Abbey replied. She hated when the kids eavesdropped on her and Jed.

"A private conversation about me. Why can't I have a say?"

"Fine, have your say."

"I don't want Dad to drop out. It would be like admitting that what I did was so bad, that it was so wrong that he can't possibly be a leader in the community when he has a loser daughter like me."

"No one thinks you're a loser."

"That's the message he'll send," Liz insisted with more passion in her than she'd had in a long time. "I'm not proud of being unmarried and pregnant at my age, but I'm sick of everyone acting like I killed someone! People who barely know me judge me, like those witches at Wellesley. I'm just so sick of it!"

"Whoa, what are you talking about? Wellesley?" Jed hadn't heard the Wellesley story yet.

"The day I went back to school to pick up my financial aid papers, the girls in the dorm were there. They were gossiping about me...and all I did was walk away. I didn't confront them, I didn't tell them to get lost, I let them laugh at me because I was so ashamed. I'm sick of being ashamed."

"Sweetheart, that's the point," Abbey said sympathetically. "That's why this isn't a good idea. I don't want you to have to deal with another second of any of this."

"But I DO have to deal with it, don't you see? Dad dropping out just validates their opinion."

Jed stood by his daughter. "She's right, Abbey. They'll criticize her anyway and my silence is no better than my agreement."

"They'll criticize us no matter what we do," Liz added. "You can't protect either one of us, Mom. They know about it now. They won't stop. They'll bash me just for existing."

Abbey focused her attention on Liz. "I don't think you understand how bad it might get. Your dad's opponent isn't above using you to hurt him."

"So let him! That'll just prove to everyone what a slimeball he is. And give the voters some credit. They don't want a guy like that in Washington on their behalf."

"Right again." He could have made these arguments himself, Jed thought.

Abbey shifted her stare from her daughter to her husband and back again. Jed and Liz frequently settled on the same side of an argument, but rarely did Abbey feel outnumbered by them like she did today. Her pager went off then and she reached down to stop it.

"It's the hospital. I have to go." She packed her grapefruit and grabbed her tote from a chair at the kitchen table.

Jed followed her out of the kitchen and toward the front door.

"Hey." He waited until she stopped to face him. "I'm sorry."

An apology wasn't necessary. "I'm not angry, Jed. I'm concerned."

"I know. But you're the one always telling me not to run from a fight."

"Some fights are worse than others. Are you prepared for this one?"

"Yeah, as long as I have your support."

"You always have my support. Don't you know that by now?"

"It doesn't hurt to be reminded."

"Consider this your reminder." She approached and gave him a quick kiss to the lips.

The Bartlet marriage was a partnership. From the beginning, they each helped the other achieve their dreams. Politics was never supposed to be Jed's dream, but it was the life he'd found and for the time being, he felt his place was in Washington. Abbey had to accept that. Despite her worries about Liz, the campaign, and about Jed's safety on the campaign trail and in office, she didn't have the heart to stand his way.

"I have to go. We'll talk later."

And with that, she turned and walked out of the house.

* * *

Jed parked his car outside of campaign headquarters a short time later. He stalled, trying to get his thoughts together before facing the conversation that was sure to make his toes curl. He could no longer ignore Liz's pregnancy with those outside the family. He had to talk about it, he had to share private details of their lives with people who had no right to the information, and he resented that.  
But instead of wallowing in that resentment, he was motivated by the task at hand - establishing boundaries with the press.

His campaign was different now. Liz had become a talking point and Jed was left to reflect on when and how that happened. He and Abbey had tried to keep the girls out of the limelight, but it was during his first campaign that his communications director persuaded him to let 16-year-old Liz lead a Get Out The Vote rally at the University of New Hampshire. She enjoyed it so much that Jed allowed her the chance to do it again during this year's campaign. But this time, she was 18, and Jed couldn't help but regret not taking her age into consideration. As an adult campaigning for him, he feared he'd unintentionally sent reporters a message by sending her out there, a message that she was fair game. That message was one he was desperate to reclaim.

He opened the car door and stepped out, determination in every breath. Things were going to change starting today. No matter what it took, he'd win this battle and never again would he allow one of his daughters to become a headline.

* * *

Back at the farm, Elizabeth blow-dried her hair and changed into a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt after her shower. She could hear Mrs. Wilburforce rushing Zoey and Ellie out the door to school and watched from her bedroom window as they drove off. On her way downstairs, she heard the car again, followed by a knock at the front door. Ellie always forgot her key, she thought. She swung open the door, but instead of Ellie, she was shocked to see Doug standing there.

"WAIT!" he shouted, wedging his arm between the door and the frame as Liz tried to slam it in his face.

"GET OUT!" she screamed at him, putting all her weight on the door.

"Liz, please! It's not what you think!"

"I don't want to hear it! Just get out and leave me the hell alone!"

"Not until you listen!" He gave a harder shove, but Liz didn't back down. "I didn't tell the press!"

"Yeah, sure you didn't!"

"I DIDN'T!" Doug insisted forcefully, giving one final shove that overpowered Liz and caused her to stumble backwards. He walked in freely and ran toward her. "I'm sorry. I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"Don't touch me!" She wasn't physically hurt, but she didn't want to see him.

"I didn't mean to push so hard. I just had to get you to listen."

"Listen to what, more lies?"

"I'm not lying to you. I swear on my life. It was Chad who told, not me."

He took a second to catch his breath as Liz digested the news. Chad, Doug's roommate. She hadn't even considered him. He was the intern at Channel 7, the one who told Doug about Jed's death threat before Jed revealed it to the public. He was a jerk, Liz had thought from the start. She had warned Doug in the past that Chad was one of those men who would run over his own family if it meant he'd clench his 15 minutes of fame. It all made sense that he'd be behind the leak.

But was he in on it alone, Liz had to wonder. That question only lingered for a second as she stared at her former lover. There was something about Doug. His eyes, his voice, his demeanor. He was trying with everything he had to get her to believe him. He seemed so sincere and there was a measure of comfort in the thought that she might have been wrong about his betrayal.

With the front door still open, it gave them both a view of Doug's car, parked parallel to the porch. He gestured to it and went on, "Everything I own is in my car. I moved out, but not before I gave him a black eye and a fat lip for blabbing about the pregnancy."

He showed off his knuckles to prove to her that he'd been in a fight.

"You shouldn't have told him in the first place."

"You didn't tell anyone besides your parents?"

She had, she had to admit. But the only person she'd trusted was Cassie. "I didn't tell someone with the loyalty of a rattle snake!"

"I didn't think it through. He was my friend, my roommate. I thought that meant something."

"You thought he gave a damn about you? The only thing Chad cares about is his own ambition. I told you that before, but you thought I was being hard on him."

"You were right, okay? I'm sorry, I really didn't think he'd tell." Doug closed the door. "Can we talk?"

"I wanted to talk weeks ago. You didn't want to have anything to do with me."

"You're the one who kicked me out. You're the one who broke up with me."

"I didn't want to break up with you! I just needed some space. I needed to figure out what to do about the baby without being pressured."

"I told you I'd stand by you if you wanted to have the baby. I told you that and your response was to ask me to leave, remember?"

"I felt like you only said that because you were afraid I'd make the decision without you."

"I wanted us to decide together, I won't lie about that. But more than anything, I wanted to be there with you. FOR you. I loved you, Liz. I still love you."

Liz let down her guard and instead of the steely eyes that had stared at Doug moments earlier, there was a touch of affection in them now. Affection, hurt, and vulnerability. "Why didn't you return my calls?"

"I did."

"When?"

"I called you over a week ago. Your mom hung up on me."

"She wouldn't do that."

"She did."

"You're wrong."

"Liz, I swear, that's what happened. I called, I asked for you, and she hung up on me."

"Maybe it was a bad connection. She probably didn't hear you."

"She heard me. It was a Saturday night. She picked up the phone and as soon as she heard my voice, she slammed the receiver down. When I heard it crash like that, I assumed you didn't want to talk to me."

"I DID want to talk to you. I just never knew you called." Liz felt a flash of anger at Abbey for her interference.

"Do you still want to talk to me?"

"Do you want to talk to me?"

"I wouldn't be here if I didn't."

Relief was a feeling Liz wasn't used to these days, but she felt it at that moment. Her shoulders went lax as tension seeped out of every limb. There was no doubt in her mind now that Doug hadn't leaked the pregnancy. He hadn't forgotten about her either. He was there, wanting to work things out. How could she possibly refuse him when that was all she wanted too?

* * *

"Besides Doug and her college roommate, who else did she tell before she told you?"

Behind the drawn blinds of a darkened office at Bartlet for Congress headquarters, Jed and Mark sat one-on-one, discussing the details of the drama in the Bartlet house. 'Discussion' was the wrong word, Jed felt. It was more like an interview. An interrogation, he'd call it, if it was anyone other than Mark doing the questioning. But Mark had a talent for asking for answers without demanding them. It was a talent Jed appreciated in a situation that could have easily made him feel like he was back at his father's dinner table. It helped him open up, to share the truth about a private matter that still made him uncomfortable.

"I found out today that some of the girls in her dorm guessed what was going on."

"Do you think they called the press?"

"I doubt it. It was just teenage gossip. Liz never talked to them about it. She kept it pretty low-key. The only people who knew for sure were her and Doug...and Jack. Of course, Jack found out by accident."

"Your brother Jack?"

"Yeah."

"How long did he know?"

"He found out after the primary."

"And he never said a word?" Mark stood up and paced the floor, his voice rising for the first time. "He let you go out there and defend your vote on sex education in high schools? He let Abbey attend that breakfast with the Coalition of Women Voters, where she got slammed for her sex ed class, and he never said anything?"

"Elizabeth asked him not to."

"I don't give a damn! Look, I don't want to get into a family matter here, but he owed it to you and to the campaign to tell us what was happening!"

"He was protecting his niece, who happens to be my daughter!" Jed stood to meet his gaze, his tone now on the defensive.

Mark took a deep breath, then asked a question he dreaded asking.

"Are you sure he's not the one who leaked it to the press?"

Impossible, Jed thought. "Jack's been as committed to getting me elected as you have. I don't want to hear anyone doubting his loyalty."

Ground rules. Jed had a lot of them. He arrived that morning and made it clear that while he wouldn't lie about Liz's pregnancy, he wouldn't indulge the gossip-mongers either. His daughter's love life was no one's business, least of all a pack of hungry journalists eager to capitalize on the situation by printing salacious headlines sure to draw the public's attention to a race that, up until now, had been fairly predictable.

Mark supported his boss on that declaration. He was relieved that Jed had come around, that he had realized that screaming 'no comment' at the press and hiding from controversy was only going to make matters worse. Still, he was prepared for Jed's defensiveness when it came to Elizabeth. What he wasn't prepared for was the vehement defensiveness when it came to Jack.

He took his seat, picked up his pen, and jotted some notes down on the legal pad in his padfolio, all while avoiding eye contact with Jed.

"So Jack knew."

"Yes, okay?" Jed sat down across from him. "Why the hell are we going over this?"

"Because I need to find out who told the press."

"We know who told the press - my daughter's good-for-nothing ex-boyfriend. I guarantee you, he's the one who did this."

Mark dismissed Jed's suspicions as the words of an angry father and moved on. "The Washington office is fielding calls. When do you want to tell them what's on the record?"

* * *

It was another hazy day at Rock Rimmon Park, where Doug took Liz that afternoon. It was where they'd gone on their first date and more recently, it was where she had told him that she was pregnant. That's when it all went wrong, Doug remembered. The park was where he first brought up the possibility of abortion, the subject that eventually tore them apart. He would take it all back if he could, he now realized. He'd hold her in his arms, wipe her tears, calm her trembling shoulders, and promise her that he'd never leave her side, no matter what she chose to do. He wouldn't walk away, even when she asked him to. He'd be there for her and he'd reassure her again and again how much he loved her. But it was too late to do all that. His reaction at the time had been impulsive, born out of fear. His only option now was to hope that Liz would understand that.

She sat on the cliff as a gust of wind swept her long, dark hair off her face. An autumn chill made her zip her hoodie and pull her sleeves down to cover her hands until Doug removed his jacket and draped it over her shoulders. She gave him a look of gratitude, the shadow of a smile he hadn't seen since their last visit to the park.

"I have something to show you," she said.

"What is it?"

Liz hesitated at first, knowing that his reaction to what she was about to give him would define their relationship forever. Slowly, she pulled it out of her purse and handed it over. "It's a sonogram."

He stared down at it, his eyes open wide.

"This is our baby," he said with conviction.

"Yeah, it is. You can't see much except for a blob, but we'll get a better one in a few weeks."

"Most women don't get their first one until the second trimester."

"How'd you know that?"

"I read it," he answered. "Why'd you get one early? Is something wrong?"

"No," she said.

"Then why?"

"I saw what my mom went through with her miscarriage. I just wanted to be sure that everything's happening the way it's supposed to."

"Is it?"

Liz smiled and touched her belly. "Yeah."

Doug continued to look down at the sonogram. "I got another job last week."

"You quit the bakery?"

"No, in addition to the bakery."

"Why?"

"Because of this." He held up the photo of their baby. "The bakery wasn't going to pay the bills, not with a kid on the way."

"What about school?"

"I'm still going. I had to drop a class this semester so I could find the time for work, but I met with my advisor the other day. I'm still on track to graduate in May, even with the reduced load."

"Wow."

"What?"

"It's just that I haven't planned anything out yet. I mean, I literally hadn't decided whether or not I was going to keep the baby until yesterday."

"Yes, you had. You may not have been ready to admit it, but you decided the moment you knew you were pregnant, Liz. I could see it in you. You want to be a mom, don't you?"

"It's weird. I never thought I did. I mean, I guess in some ways, I grew up wanting kids. What little girl doesn't? But when I hit my teens and started thinking about college and all, I figured that my career would be my first priority and there just wouldn't be time for children."

"Maybe this was God's way of showing you there is."

Liz saw a new side of Doug that day. She'd known him as a guy just barely out of his teens, but he sounded more mature suddenly. More reasonable. More responsible. Doug caught her looking at him and, for a minute, he wondered if it was a skeptical look, as if she thought he was manipulating her to get her back into bed. He looked back at those sparkling eyes he'd missed so much and he saw a wealth of sincerity looking back. They were so expressive, so bare. It made him feel warm inside.

"What?"

"You're full of surprises."

He shrugged. "I had to change some things."

"What else did you change?"

"My major. That's what I called to tell you that night."

"From Dairy Management?"

"Yeah."

"I bet your dad was thrilled about that."

"He doesn't know yet. He doesn't know about any of this."

"When do you plan to tell him?"

"When I work up the nerve." Doug and his father had a rocky relationship. "The school thing...it's not a radical change. My new major is Business. I can still manage my folks' dairy farm if I want, but a degree in Business will open more doors. Besides, Dairy Management isn't a major that travels well. My dad can't argue with me there."

Talk of travel alarmed Liz. "Are you going some place?"

"No, no, I'm not planning on it. I was just thinking that having a baby is a lifelong commitment. I want to be a part of this kid's life and if someday you move...I'll move with you."

"You do? Want to be a part of her life, I mean?"

"It's a girl?"

"We don't know for sure, but I think it is."

"You think it is or you want it to be?" he teased her.

"Answer my question. Do you want to be a part of her life?"

"Yeah, I really do...if you'll let me."

"Of course I'll let you. You're her father."

"I'm not asking for a commitment from you. We don't have to be a couple to raise a child, right?" He could see that upset her. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No." She gave a weak smile as she stared straight ahead. "You said everything right."

He knew her too well to believe her. "Don't get me wrong, Liz. I WANT to be with you..."

"Then why didn't you say that?" she asked, tears in her eyes.

"Because I didn't want to pressure you or make you feel uncomfortable. I don't know how you feel about me right now."

"I'm here with you, aren't I?"

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean that you still love me."

"I still love you, Doug. I never stopped."

"I never stopped loving you either." He leaned in to kiss her, but it was a short kiss and as she pulled away, he said, "I was a jerk about the pregnancy."

"We both were."

"I acted the way I did because I didn't want kids at this age. The thought of it scared me to death. I don't know how to be a father. My own father didn't set the world's best example. I just thought we were too young, too stupid to raise a child."

"We'll figure it out together. My parents said they'll help."

If there was one thing Doug knew about Jed and Abbey, it was that they were good parents. The thought of them helping out put a lot of his fears to rest. "I'm glad you didn't have that abortion."

Liz lowered her head as if to escape the memory of how close she came to terminating her pregnancy. "I couldn't do it."

"I know. I'm proud of you for not letting me talk you into it. I think we both would have regretted it."

"Doug?"

"Yeah?"

"I have to ask, what brought on this change of heart?"

"I can't pinpoint one exact reason. I started thinking about it all. When we broke up, I spent days trying to figure out what to do. Do I walk away...from you, from the baby? Do I leave town and run away, pretend I'm not a father? Do I stay here and face my responsibility, send you child support payments every month for 18 years? At first, I thought that was the way to go."

"I'd just get a check from you in the mail? That's what you wanted?"

"It sounded easy. Try to understand, when you told me you were pregnant, something inside me changed. I went into fight-or-flight mode. I can't explain it. I just know this terror came over me and it was like I wasn't in control of my life anymore. And when you decided not to have the abortion, I felt that loss of control even stronger. I freaked out. But then, you talked about taking a break from each other and I knew that's not what I wanted."

"Are you willing to raise this baby now just because you want to be with me?"

"No," he insisted. "That's why I initially warmed up to the idea, sure, but then I started doing some research about pregnancy and babies. I went to the library and I read so many articles on parenting...what kids want, what they need. It made me excited to raise one, like maybe I could do it right."

"These articles calmed your fears?"

"They helped. What really calmed me was knowing that I'd be doing it with you. I kept thinking about how scared you must be and how courageous you are for wanting to go through with this. Your strength inspired me, Liz."

She laughed. "That's the cheesiest thing you've ever said to me."

He laughed too. "Cheesy or not, it's true. You were terrified of telling your parents. But you did it. You always face your fears, you don't run away from them. How could I call myself a man if I didn't do the same?"

Liz thought she was dreaming. She took a minute to thank God for letting Doug find his way. "I knew you'd come around."

"No, you didn't!" he accused.

"Okay, maybe I just hoped...and prayed, really, really hard," she confessed. "My prayers came true."

"So did mine. The second we broke up, all I prayed for was that we'd get back together."

"I regretted breaking up with you as soon as I did it. My uncle drove me back to school and the first thing I did was reach for the phone to call you."

"I waited too long to call you back. I needed time to think."

"And when you did call back, I wasn't even told. I'm sorry. My mom had no right to hang up on you."

"It shouldn't have surprised me. It's no secret your parents hate me, probably a lot more now."

"They shouldn't. The pregnancy is just as much my responsibility. I made all my own choices when it came to sleeping with you, to quitting school, to..."

"You quit Wellesley?" Doug panicked at the thought of that.

"Yeah."

"Why would you do that?"

"I couldn't keep going, Doug. Not like this."

"Why not? You don't have to quit school just because you're pregnant."

"I felt like I did."

"Liz..."

"You don't understand. It was too hard to keep my mind on my studies, I couldn't stay organized, I couldn't focus. You have no idea how miserable I was."

"All right fine, you were miserable, but college is all you used to talk about. You had so many dreams."

"Dreams change," she said sadly. "Please don't lecture me. I get enough of that from my parents."

"I won't lecture you," he promised as he wrapped his arm around her and let her rest her head on his chest. "Are you going to go back after the baby's born?"

"We'll see."

"Whatever you decide, I'll support you. But I don't want to be responsible for you not doing what you always wanted to do."

"You're not. Like everything else, this is my choice. Right now, I just want to have this baby. I'll decide the future later."

Doug paused for a beat, then said, "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"That we weren't more careful."

Liz looked up at him, not a shred of blame in her heart.

"It's gonna be okay," she assured him.

She took the sonogram then and placed her hand over his. Their fingers overlapped, they traced the image of the child they'd created.

They were back together again and as a team, Liz knew they'd navigate the bumpy road ahead.

* * *

Nights like tonight, it was difficult for Abbey not to question her decision to become a surgeon. She loved her career, but surgery wasn't meant to be a nine-to-five job. It was eleven o'clock when she pulled into the gravel drive that night, too late to have dinner with the girls, too late to help them with their homework, or tuck them in. It had been report card day in the school district and she'd been in the operating room for nine hours straight without so much as a break to check in with Ellie and Zoey about their grades.

As she drove up to the house, she was surprised to see headlights behind her. She glanced up at her rearview mirror to see Jed on her tail. He swerved to her side when they reached the garage and parked beside her.

"Are you just getting home?" Abbey asked him the second her door flung open and she stepped out.

"Yeah, didn't you get my message?"

"I got a message that you called, but nothing more specific."

"I forgot I had a fundraiser tonight. Mrs. Wilburforce agreed to stay until one of us got home."

"That woman's an angel. I don't know how we ever got by without her."

Jed leaned in to give her a kiss on the cheek as they neared the stairs. "How was your day?"

"Two lung cancers, an emphysema patient, hiatal hernia, and a CABG."

"All successes, I'm sure," he said, opening the front door.

"What did you do besides your fundraiser?"

"I told the rest of the staff about Liz, then spent most of the day in meetings."

"How did they take it?" She read his expression on that question. It didn't go well. "Have you talked to Jack yet?"

"I haven't had a chance."

"The sooner you clear the air with him..."

"I know, I know."

Abbey followed him into the kitchen, where Mrs. Wilburforce was putting away the leftover brownies she'd made for dessert. "Hi, Mrs. Wilburforce."

"Well hello."

"Thanks for staying so late."

"I'm glad I could help." She saw Abbey searching the counter for something and it occurred to her what it was. "They're over there."

Abbey reached for the two report cards on the table, handing one to Jed and keeping one for herself.

"Moment of truth." Jed feigned anxiety. He knew what he was going to see when he opened the card. This one was Ellie's, the star student in the family. "Terrific, as always!"

Abbey wasn't as happy. She shook her head at their youngest daughter's marks. "You need to lay down the law with Zoey."

"She in trouble?"

"For talking in class...again."

"We've talked to her about that several times."

"Well, it didn't sink in. Satisfactory in everything except behavior, thanks to her constant jabbering."

"Satisfactory?" Jed furrowed his brows. "What happened to excellent? Do they not still give those away?"

"See for yourself."

Husband and wife exchanged cards.

"You'll be pleased with Ellie's," he said as he scanned Zoey's marks.

And he was right. Abbey smiled proudly. "Straight A's."

"Look at the attendance record. Other than that day she skipped, perfect attendance."

"I see that."

"She was honest with us, Abbey. It was a one-time thing, just like she said." Jed had been lobbying for Abbey to ease up on Ellie ever since the day she'd grounded her for succumbing to peer pressure and cutting class to hang out with her friends. "Zoey, on the other hand..."

"We'll talk to them both tomorrow," Abbey vowed before addressing Mrs. Wilburforce. "Did they give you any trouble tonight?"

"Not at all. Perfect angels."

Jed nudged his wife. "Why are they never like that when we're around?"

"Is Liz upstairs?"

"She's out," Mrs. Wilburforce told her.

"Her car's in the drive."

"Doug picked her up."

"DOUG?" Jed felt his blood pressure rise by the mere mention of his name.

"How long have they been gone?" Abbey asked, concerned.

"All day."

"Did she say when she'd be home?"

"She said not to wait up."

Jed and Abbey stared at each other, her expression fraught with disappointment. His, anger. Jed's eyes betrayed his thoughts and Abbey knew the question weighing so boldly on his mind was why. Why would Elizabeth give Doug the time of day? Why would she leave home with him? Why would she take him back when less than 24 hours earlier, she was convinced he leaked her pregnancy to the world?

Only Liz could answer those questions, and Jed and Abbey couldn't get a wink of sleep until she did.

* * *

"It's two o'clock in the morning!" Jed fumed as he and Abbey waited in their bedroom for Liz to come home.

"I know."

"I don't care how old she is. To be out so late, without so much as a phone call, that's irresponsible. It's inconsiderate, it's rude...I won't tolerate it!"

"Calm down, Jed. The worst thing you can do is fight with her tonight when you're so upset about Doug."

"Damn right I'm upset about Doug! How could she be so stupid? How could we have raised a daughter who doesn't have a shred of self-respect?"

"She does have self-respect. She thinks she's in love and love makes people do strange things."

"We never did."

They heard a car pull up then. With Abbey on his heels, Jed dashed out of the room and down the stairs, tearing the door open as Liz made her way up the porch steps. She turned to wave to Doug, his cue to leave.

"Where have you been?" Abbey started.

"I don't care where she's been," Jed barked. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"We had a lot to talk about," Liz said, leading the way into the house.

"Oh really? Like what?"

"Mom should know."

"What does that mean?" Abbey wasn't expecting this tonight.

"Why didn't you tell me he called? You hung up on him and you never even told me."

"I asked her not to." Jed was quick to intervene, but Abbey put her hand on his shoulder before he went further.

"Jed, don't. It'll just make things worse."

"It's the truth. You wanted to tell her days ago. I said to forget about it."

"Why?" Liz demanded.

"Because we're your parents and it's our job to look out for you."

"What you're doing isn't looking out for me. You're interfering and you have no right..."

"Don't talk to me about rights! We have every right. You're 18 years old, you're not in school, you're not working, you're living here rent-free, and you're pregnant!"

"Thanks for the recap, Dad," Liz shot back, angrily. "Don't you think I know the mess I've made of things?"

Jed hadn't meant to be cruel, but to Liz, it didn't matter.

Abbey stepped in between them before things escalated even more. "Your father didn't mean to throw that in your face."

"Yes, he did."

"No, I didn't," Jed said in his own defense. "I'm sorry. I just love you so much and I don't want to see you hurt any more than you already have been."

"All we want is to help you," Abbey offered.

"Interfering in my relationship with Doug isn't helping."

"What relationship? He walked out on you." It pained Abbey to remind her of that.

"He DIDN'T walk out on me! I broke up with him!"

Jed took over then. "A man who loved you wouldn't have left. He wouldn't have left you or your baby. A real man would have stayed and fought to be with you both."

"He did fight! I threw him out! I wanted him gone!"

"Yeah, and what did he do? He rushed to the press! He betrayed you! He betrayed all of us!"

"No, he didn't! That wasn't Doug. It was his roommate who told the press. Doug moved out as soon as he found out about it."

"And you believe that?" Jed scoffed at the explanation. "Elizabeth, you're not this gullible. Don't let him fool you like this."

"He's not fooling me! Would you give me a little credit here? I wouldn't have taken him back if..."

"You took him back?" Abbey asked. "You're back together again?"

Liz answered unapologetically, "Yes."

Jed shook his head. "Unbelievable."

"It's my life, my choice."

"Code for 'go to hell, Mom and Dad.' "

"I never said that!"

"You might as well have."

Jed didn't want to be so angry. He didn't want to yell at her or push her away. But it was so hard to keep his emotions under control when she was breaking his heart in two.

"Doug is the father of my child! He's always going to be a part of my life! If you can't handle that..."

"What?" Jed prodded her, scared to death of what he was about to hear, but unwilling to let it go. "If I can't handle it, what?"

"Forget it."

She veered around her parents on her way to the stairs, but Jed grabbed her arm before she went up.

"I want you home by eleven o'clock from now on."

"A curfew? Really?"

"That's right. There are four other people in this house who don't need to be woken up by car doors slamming and people coming in and out at all hours of the night. It's called courtesy."

It's called control, Liz said to herself. Her father was clearly furious and had she expressed what she was really thinking, it would have led to the worst fight they'd ever had. She jerked her arm out of his grip and ran upstairs before either of them said something they could never take back.

TBC


	30. Chapter 30

Series: Snapshots of the Past

Story: The Candidate's Daughter

Chapter 30

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Previously: Doug and Liz reconciled after Doug convinced Liz he wasn't the one who sold her out to the press; Jed and Abbey were furious to hear that Liz spent the day with Doug

Summary: Jed's view on sex education gets an unexpected boost from the U.S. Surgeon General; Zoey prepares to compete in her first horse show; Jed is stunned by a proposal from a gubernatorial candidate; Abbey and Ellie make amends; Elizabeth has news to share

Author's Note: In the 1980s, the state of New Hampshire only received federal funds for abstinence-only programs and it was left up to individual school districts whether or not to include a sex education curriculum at their own cost. Only a few districts did. Most didn't. That started to change in NH and around the country with the Surgeon General's report in October 1986, so a lot of this is based on reality (except, of course, the Bartlets are fictional lol).

The C. Everrett Koop report was taken directly from the website of the National Institutes of Health; also, the name of the 1986 NH gubernatorial candidate has been changed for this story since the man is still involved in NH politics and I didn't think it would be fair to characterize him in a fictional story. "My" candidate is not based on him.

Thanks to Kara for chatting about horse shows with me. It didn't play a prominent part in this chapter, but will later.

And finally, thanks to all of you for continuing to read and comment this series. Happy Holidays to everyone!

* * *

Abbey raced home from the hospital after her Saturday morning rounds. She opened the door and burst in to see Zoey standing at the top of the stairs, all decked out in her riding clothes - a pair of tan jodhpurs paired with a winter-white equestrian shirt, a black wool riding jacket, and black paddock boots. A black velvet helmet hung from her head, the chin strap loose and dangling off to the side.

"I'm ready!" she said. Her big green eyes sparkled with visions of her first horse show.

"Well don't you look like the best-dressed equestrian in all of New Hampshire?" Abbey flashed a proud smile as she mounted the stairs. "It's not time to go yet."

"But I'm ready."

"I can see that. It's still not time to go. Tell you what, why don't you change out of those clothes for now, go wash your hands and meet me in the kitchen. You can help me make French toast for breakfast and then I'll help you put your hair up and get dressed the right way. What'd you say?"

"Okay!"

That little proposition was more than enough to tempt Zoey. Her mother's French toast was her favorite, especially after her father loaded it with sugar and New Hampshire maple syrup, like he always did when Abbey turned her back.

Abbey watched her scurry down the stairs and waited until she disappeared around the corner before turning her attention to the master bedroom, eager to tell Jed the news about the latest twist in the national debate on AIDS, a twist that was sure to help him at the voting booth.

With less than two weeks until election day, the rhetoric on the campaign trail had escalated. Liz's pregnancy cast a spotlight on Jed's vote on sex education in schools, a subject that immediately put him on the defensive. But more research was trickling out of the CDC about the fatal disease and government leaders were finally starting to entertain the notion of preventative measures recommended by healthcare advocates. Among them, an open discussion about homosexuality, the dangers of IV drug use, and the benefits of condoms. And the key demographic now targeted in what had become a national safety campaign were those most vulnerable to infection by risky behavior - teenagers.

"Jed?" Abbey called for him as she barged through the door.

"Yeah?" He stood in front of the closet, in search of a pair of pants to go with his white button-down dress shirt.

"What are you doing?"

"Getting dressed."

"We have Zoey's thing today. You can't wear that."

"I'm meeting Easton at the Red Arrow first."

"Today?"

"It's important, Abbey. I didn't give you a hard time when you went to the hospital this morning."

"I went to check on a patient." She approached him. "Since when is a photo op with a gubernatorial candidate as important as the status of a post-op patient in ICU?"

He turned with a spark of frustration. "It may not be life and death, but it's important to me."

"Point taken." She gave in, remorseful for being so dismissive. "What about breakfast?"

"It's the Red Arrow. We're eating there."

"You can't be late to Zoey's show."

"I won't be, don't worry." He looped a blue and silver tie around his neck. "What were you rushing up here to tell me?"

Abbey handed him the folded papers she carried under her arm. "Look."

"What is it?"

"What we've been waiting for."

Jed flipped through the papers, unimpressed. "The Surgeon General's report. It wasn't released to the media yet. Where did you get it?"

"It was sitting on my desk at work."

"Who put it there?"

"I don't know, but it doesn't matter, does it? It just came out."

"My office already got their hands on it."

"So you know what it says? Why aren't you ecstatic?"

"What am I supposed to be ecstatic about?"

Abbey grabbed the file from him and began to read out loud the words of C. Everett Koop, the highly respected Cornell doctor who now served as the country's chief medical practitioner under President Reagan. He'd been tasked with the job of writing a comprehensive report on AIDS from a scientific perspective.

'Teenagers often think themselves immortal,' Abbey read. 'And these young people may be putting themselves at greater risk as they begin to explore their own sexuality and perhaps experience with drugs. The threat should be sufficient to permit a sex education curriculum with a heavy emphasis on prevention of AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.'

She looked up for Jed's reaction.

"I already heard it," he said.

"What's the matter with you? The Surgeon General just agreed with you. He's parroting everything you said about sex education at the debate. How can this not be a good thing?"

"A good thing for whom?"

"For you!"

"For the election or for my poll numbers?"

"You said yourself that your phone's been ringing off the hook. The media, Planned Parenthood, Right-to-Life, even members of our church all want to hear what you have to say about your vote on sex education. You now have the Surgeon General's backing. His expert opinion is in-line with what you said all along."

"That's great. So with his endorsement, children around the country, in addition to reading, writing, and arithmetic, will now learn how to properly put on a condom."

"If it'll save their lives, yes! What's wrong with that?"

"There's nothing wrong with teaching the dangers of unprotected sex. I'm not arguing that."

"Then what are you arguing?"

"I'm not arguing at all, Abbey. I'm just not as pleased about the whole thing as you are."

"Why?"

"I don't know." He shrugged. "Maybe I'm just nostalgic for a more innocent time. Ten years ago, kids were just kids. Little girls played with Barbie and little boys ran around the playground."

"Those aren't the kids we're talking about. The kids we're talking about are teenagers and even 10 years ago, they weren't playing with Barbies. This isn't a new concept, Jed. Teen sex has been around since the beginning of time. The difference is we can't ignore it anymore. There's more at stake now."

"I know."

"You're one of the leaders in a movement that will someday be part of our national history. It'll be chronicled in textbooks for generations to come as a movement that saved millions of lives. I'm so proud of what you're doing. Why on earth are you ashamed of it?"

"I'm not ashamed of it. I just never envisioned my role as a Catholic congressman to be condom advocacy for teenagers."

"It's so much more than that. Abstinence is still part of the dialogue."

"Not as big a part as I'd like."

"We can't lecture to them. Put this in context. We weren't much older than the kids we're talking about the first time we made love. We were barely out of our teens."

"We were juniors in college, nearly three years out of high school. The difference in emotional maturity alone..."

"I'm just saying, it's not that different."

"Some of these boys and girls are only two years older than Ellie. And who knows, in a few years, we could even be talking about kids the same age that Ellie is now. Someday soon, sex education could start at the beginning of puberty. And it'll all be public." He cringed at the thought. "Teaching children about intimacy between a man and a woman, I always considered that a parent's job."

"It's supposed to be a parent's job, but parents are dropping the ball and their kids are suffering because of it. One way or another, they need to know the facts about safe sex."

Jed mumbled barely above a whisper, "Too bad Elizabeth never got that lesson."

"Don't make this about Elizabeth. She and I had the sex talk when she started dating."

"I know you tried, but she wasn't listening." His voice was full of disappointment. "Have you considered the possibility that she could be infected? Birth control pills don't protect against STDs."

"No, they don't."

"I should bring it up with her."

"You don't have to. We already discussed it. Doug had a blood test last year. Clean bill of health."

"You think that's sufficient? It was a year ago. Who knows who else he's been with since then?"

"Yeah, make sure you present it to Liz just that way." Abbey shook her head at him.

"I'm not kidding, Abbey."

"I know and that's what scares me."

"What?"

"That you're so desperate to break them up, you'd even consider planting a bug in her head that Doug has been unfaithful to her."

"I'm genuinely concerned for our daughter's well-being."

"After last night, she's barely on speaking terms with us, Jed. If you hint at the possibility that Doug was fooling around with some other girl, she'll accuse you of doing it out of spite."

"Then what do you suggest?"

"I suggest we do nothing. She's fine, she's healthy."

"How do we know that? You told me that HIV doesn't always show up right away in a blood test, that it can take up to six months for a definitive diagnosis."

"That's right."

"Then Doug could have been infected and not known it."

"If he was, we'll know about it. She had blood tests done at her doctor's appointment the other day."

"For AIDS?"

"For everything. She was more than willing for the baby's sake."

"When will the results be in?"

"A few more days at least. If anything's wrong, we'll know." She straightened his tie for him. "In the meantime, she's healthy, the baby's healthy. All things considered, we should be grateful. The situation could have been much worse."

"I am grateful that she's healthy. There are a lot of families out there who aren't as lucky. I get that. I just..."

She covered his hand with hers, knowing exactly what he was thinking. "It's hard for me to accept all these changes too."

A silent stare passed between them until they heard a knock at the door.

Liz stood in the doorway. "I don't mean to interrupt, but can I use your shower? Ellie and Zoey are in ours."

"Together? What are they doing?"

"Spray painting Ginger black for Halloween."

"Oh, for pete's sake..." Abbey hurried out the room. "GIRLS, THAT CAT BETTER STILL BE WHITE WHEN I GET IN THERE!"

Jed gestured to the bathroom. "Shower's all yours."

"Are we going to pretend like last night didn't happen?" Liz asked him.

"I would certainly like to."

"Well, I can't," she said. "I don't want to fight with you every time I go out with Doug or every time he calls."

"I know you don't. You want me to like him. You want me to approve."

"Yes."

"I'm sorry, I can't do that." She began to turn away, but he went on. "I can't help but look at you and know, without a doubt, that you deserve so much better."

She spun herself back around. "You never used to be a snob. You raised me to believe that we're no better than anyone else. Now, all of a sudden, Doug isn't good enough for me or our family?"

"It's a mismatch, Elizabeth. You two are so different."

"Opposites attract."

"That is the biggest farce out there. It sounds romantic, but trust me, sweetheart, it's bull. At the end of the day, when you look across the dinner table, who do you want sitting across from you? A partner who's excited about the things that excite you, someone who can talk to you intelligently about your day, your work, your activities, or someone with whom you have nothing in common?"

"We do have things in common. They're just not the things that you find important. Doug has qualities and skills that you've never bothered to consider."

"Because I haven't seen them. The only talent I've seen out of him so far is the influence he has over you."

"We're back to that again?"

"A partner should be someone who raises you up, who brings out the very best in you. All Doug has seemed to do is bring you down."

"You can't blame Doug for every mistake I make."

"You're right, I can't. And I'm not, not anymore. I'm holding you accountable for your decisions."

"Good, then you have no reason to hate him."

"I don't hate him. I just hate that he has the power to hurt you so much."

"He doesn't hurt me! He makes me happy!"

"Were you happy a few weeks ago, when you came home from school, heartbroken after your break-up, having to tell your mother and me that you were pregnant and that he'd walked out on you? You were miserable."

"So what? You're not miserable when you and Mom fight?"

"Don't compare your relationship with him with the relationship I have with your mom. It's not even close to being the same." He took a beat to remind himself that she was reaching out to him and if she pushed his buttons, it was because she was as upset as he was. "I just want you to be with someone who will always love you, someone who will never leave you, someone who supports your dreams. I don't want you to have any regrets."

"Doug won't be a regret."

"I hope not."

"You don't get it!" she barked.

"I DO get it!"

"Doug's not just my boyfriend anymore, Dad! He's the father of my baby! That means he's a part of my life forever. Even if we break up tomorrow, he and I will always be connected. We'll always share a bond." She took a breath, then added, "I don't know how to move past this if you can't accept that."

She watched it sink in, watched his expression change as it did. She wanted to dull the sting of her words, but it would only delay the inevitable. Eventually, Jed had to come to terms with the fact that Liz and Doug were permanently tied to each other because of the human life they created. He couldn't interfere anymore, no matter how much he wanted to, and the sooner he realized that, the sooner he and Liz could begin to repair the rift that had torn them apart.

The problem was, Jed wasn't yet ready to give up.

* * *

Life had also been rough for Ellie Bartlet over the past few weeks. It was bad enough being grounded for skipping class and forced to cut ties with the new friends she'd made at school, but what stung her to her core was the change in her relationship with her mother. Abbey used to be her most trusted confidante, the one person in the family who truly understood her. These days, it felt as if Abbey was too busy with Liz's drama to notice the hell that she was going through.

That's exactly how Ellie thought of it in her 12-year-old mind - hell. Dramatic as it sounded, there was no other word to describe the loneliness she felt at school as the odd-girl-out, the one who had suddenly become a target of her former friends, Celia and Nicole. They never really cared for her anyway, and Ellie knew that. They were nice to her for Lacy's sake. But when Ellie began avoiding them, it was Celia and Nicole who turned on her with the vengeance only junior high girls could dish out.

Lacy reigned them in the day they shouted obscenities at Ellie in the cafeteria and threw gum wrappers at her head in math class, but Lacy wasn't there to keep them from taunting her between classes or from taping her locker shut, making her late for gym. Ellie was being bullied and she had no ally to call on for help. She took to the halls every hour, darting in and out of traffic jams while trying to stay hidden in the crowds to avoid Celia and Nicole.

Home was her safe harbor. But with the news of Liz's pregnancy colliding with her father's re-election campaign, the stress level there was escalating every minute. And there was also the fight with her mother. She lost Abbey's trust when she cut school. Getting it back wasn't easy. Impossible, it seemed. She felt defeated and that defeat turned to anger in her heart. Fair or not, she blamed Abbey for being so rigid with her punishment and making the hardest month of her life even more intolerable.

After Abbey chided her and Zoey for the Ginger incident that morning, she ordered both girls to wash up and join her downstairs to help with breakfast. Zoey did as she asked, but Ellie ignored the request and retreated to her bedroom. She plopped down on her bed and reached for the copy of Seventeen Magazine that Liz had let her borrow.

That's where she was when Abbey found her. "I asked for your help in the kitchen."

"Zoey can help."

"I asked for both of you."

"I'm reading," Ellie replied, leaning against her headboard and flipping through the magazine.

"You can read later. I want you downstairs, right now." She sighed as she tossed the magazine onto her nightstand and hesitantly climbed out of bed. "You know what, Ellie, it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world if you could at least pretend to be happy today."

"There's nothing to be happy about."

Abbey put a hand on her shoulder, directing her out of the room. Just as she and Ellie emerged, Liz crossed in front of them in the hall and took the lead on the way to the stairs.

The older girl threw her head back and informed her mother of her plans. "I'm taking my own car today."

"Can I ride with you, Lizzie?" Ellie asked.

"No," Abbey interjected, her eyes on Ellie. "It's your sister's big day. We're riding to the show together." She addressed Liz then. "ALL of us."

"I didn't say I'm not going," Liz explained as the three started down the stairs. "I'm just taking my own car."

"Why?"

"Because I have plans afterwards."

"We're having dinner here with your grandparents, remember?"

"That's tonight."

They reached the bottom landing, where Abbey turned to face her eldest daughter. "You can't stand to not see him for one day, can you?"

"What's the big deal? Didn't you and Dad want to see each other every day when you fell in love?"

"It's not the same thing."

"You'd be surprised how similar it is."

Liz walked off and Abbey didn't try to stop her. She had to tread carefully, aware that Liz was still angry that she had intercepted that phone call from Doug. Jed wouldn't be so calm, she acknowledged. He'd put his foot down and insist that Liz ride with the family in a symbolic gesture of harmony for Zoey's sake. But then Liz, just as stubborn as her father, wouldn't give in without an argument and that was the last thing any of them needed.

Abbey felt she only had one choice if she wanted to keep the peace and enjoy the day with her husband and three daughters. She bit her tongue and resigned herself to temporary silence on the subject of Doug.

* * *

"The Surgeon General's report will be on the front page of every paper in the country. The administration just handed you a victory on a silver platter."

Jed looked up at the man sitting across from him. Peter Easton, the Democratic nominee for governor, had invited him for breakfast that morning. There was nothing unusual about that - same-party political candidates in New Hampshire often met during the election cycle, usually to streamline their campaigns and discuss the issues important to voters. But in Easton's case, there was another motive for the meeting at Manchester's most famous diner.

The Red Arrow was a political hotspot for presidential candidates and national press before the New Hampshire primary, but even after the fanfare settled down and the tourists all left, it was such a popular restaurant among local residents that customers frequently lined themselves up against the walls, waiting for a seat among the regulars. Politicians like Peter Easton who visited the diner so close to election day, did it for one reason - to be seen. Easton was a virtual unknown, a newcomer with a background in business and finance who edged out his competition in a weak primary year to win the support of the Democratic Party.

Jed, meanwhile, was a well-known and well-liked first-term congressman, respected by admirers who outnumbered his detractors by the thousands. He knew the meeting with Easton was for show - a display of unity in front of locals who would be heading to the polls in less than two weeks - but it was his belief in the man that persuaded him to do it anyway. His only ground rule was no press, a rule that Easton easily accepted.

"I never intended to run on this platform," Jed told him as he swirled his pancake around his plate to soak up every last bit of maple syrup.

"It was either this or nuclear power and let me tell you from the perspective of someone who has the utmost respect for you, with Chernobyl on the news every other night, that would have been political suicide. Many would say you were on the wrong side of that issue for too long to win votes on it now."

"You're forgetting, I was on the opposite side of the sex ed issue at first too."

"You signed the bill months ago."

"Only because I had to." There was bitterness in Jed's voice. "Bennett pushed me into a corner."

"Bennett did you a favor. All that matters now is that it's done."

"No, it's not. As it stands, the bill is so weak, it'll never make it out of the chamber."

"Even if that's true, it won't flop until after the election." Easton leaned against the table, lowering his voice. "With the report hot off the presses, now's the time to sell it."

"Don't kid yourself. People will dispute his findings."

"Dispute the word of a Cornell-educated physician who has the backing of the CDC and most likely, the NIH? They'll look ridiculous."

"When has that stopped anyone in politics?"

"Randall asked everyone to put their faith in medical professionals. He mentioned Koop by name, thinking the results would be exactly the opposite. What's he going to do now, discredit him?"

"I have no idea what Randall's strategy will be."

"Have you come up with yours?"

"I'm sure my staff is working on it as we speak."

"But you don't have any ideas?"

"Like I said, I never intended to run on this platform."

"This close to election day and the situation with your daughter..."

"Leave her out of it." That was a warning. Jed wasn't about to discuss Liz's situation with Easton.

"I'm saying, it doesn't look like you have a choice. For better or worse, this has become your platform. And that's not necessarily a bad thing."

"Says who?"

"Says me, the polls. I bet your numbers will be up this week. They'll climb even higher if you use the report."

"Use it how?"

"An ad. Maybe a joint ad, you and me."

"So that's what this is about. I was trying to figure out why you appointed yourself my pseudo-campaign advisor and now I get it."

"Hear me out, Jed. We could use the Surgeon General's report as a theme. You could boast your vote in congress, remind people you were right all along and that your opponent and his followers were wrong and I'll vow that as governor, I will honor Koop's recommendation and make sex education a mandatory part of the curriculum in every public school in New Hampshire."

Jed took a minute to consider Easton's proposal, then offered a compromise. "I'll take it back to my staff, under one condition."

"Name it."

"We're not going demonize people who think their children should be taught about sex and intimacy at home rather than at school."

"Once the report hits the mainstream press, no parent will be straddling the fence. Come on, Jed, it's not a question of religion or morality. It's a public health issue."

"It's also not just about the birds and the bees. Some parents are going to be up in arms at the thought of teachers demonstrating to their 14-year-old daughters how to properly put a condom on their boyfriends."

"That's an overreaction at this point. No one has the specifics of what any of these programs will entail."

"All the same, there are parishioners at my own church who don't think that schools should interfere in a parent's right to raise his child according to the family's moral code. And I'll tell you something, they have a point."

"We're not going to take the power out of the hands of parents."

"If people like Ernie Bennett have their way, we will. Look, it's taken me a long time to come to terms with the idea of advocating someone besides me and my wife teaching my girls what goes on in the bedroom."

"But you have come to terms with it."

Finding out that Liz was sexually active changed Jed's view entirely.

"I won't judge those still struggling. Any ad I agree to will be strictly based on facts. No finger-pointing, no attacking. Those are my terms. Take it or leave it."

"I'll take it." Easton had to respect Jed's reluctance to get down in the sandbox, even if it would help him in the election. "And on that note, I want to run something else by you."

"What's that?"

"Does it bother you that there's a gap in the line of succession here in New Hampshire? There's no mechanism for replacing the Governor in case of an emergency or resignation."

"Of course there is. Power goes to the President of the Senate."

"It shouldn't. It should go to someone appointed or elected, like most other states."

"It's never been done that way in New Hampshire."

"I know, and I want to change that. As governor, I plan to propose an amendment to the state Constitution to appoint a lieutenant governor. What do you think about that?"

"It's an idea."

"That's all you have to say?"

"I'm not the one you have to sell it to."

"Yeah, you are." Jed stared at the man, quizzically. "If I can get it done, there's no one else I'd trust more to serve as my lieutenant governor."

Jed raised his head, shocked. "I'm sorry, I think I heard you wrong."

"No, you heard right." Easton smiled.

"You're asking me to be your lieutenant governor. Is this a joke?"

"Not at all."

"We hardly know each other."

"I don't have to know you to know about you. New Hampshire is a small state; politics is a small business. Do you really think there's anyone here who hasn't thoroughly vetted you?"

"What did you find?"

"A man who's worked hard for the people of New Hampshire ever since he set foot in the statehouse in '76. Your approval ratings are through the roof and that's because people trust you. A lesser candidate might have been blown out of the water by the pregnancy his unmarried teenage daughter. It hasn't even caused a wrinkle in your campaign."

"Yes, it has. My poll numbers..."

"Are still high enough to win. This dip in the numbers is just temporary and you know it. Your family practically built this state, Jed. There's a certain amount of loyalty that stems from that."

"I never ran on my family's name."

"You didn't need to. You have your own accomplishments, for which you're known around the state. You'd have to do an awful lot to tarnish your reputation."

"I hate to break it to you, but you're wrong. I haven't always been the most popular guy, even within my own party.

"Who has? The bottom line is, you're the real thing. You care about the residents and about the state. You're not just an ordinary politician; you're a statesman. That's why I'm formally asking you to serve as my lieutenant governor. What do you say?"

It wasn't often that Jed was speechless, but in that diner on that October morning, he struggled unsuccessfully to find the right words.

* * *

The annual horse show was the highlight of New Hampshire's largest Fall Fest celebration, and for Zoey Bartlet, competing at the show was a dream come true. She was three years old the first time her parents brought her to these fairgrounds. Much of that day was a blur - she'd forgotten all about how she argued with Ellie over whose candy apple tasted better, or her mother scolding her father for "buying the girls too many sugary treats," or the fact that 15-year-old Liz was so embarrassed by everyone's petty bickering that she walked the grounds five feet behind her family, pretending not to know any of them - but the one memory that remained fresh and crisp in Zoey's mind was the one of the horse show and all the riders who took to the ring. She thought about them now, excited that she was about to be one of them.

"Ready for this, Ruby?" she asked as she used a currycomb on Ruby's shiny clean coat.

Ruby was an American Shetland, the baby of the Bartlet horses. Zoey named her for her copper-chestnut color that blazed a scarlet red under the rays of the sun. Ruby shifted her weight, like she always did when she tired of the grooming, and Zoey switched to the softer body brush to finish the job. Her riding instructor, Grace, then watched as the six-year-old whispered words of encouragement while she unbraided her horse's mane.

Meanwhile, out in the stands, Abbey had her eye on the pumpkin-carving stand. In past years, this close to Halloween, the Bartlets already had their pumpkins picked out and decorated, and the jack-o-lantern that would light the porch until Halloween night had already been gutted and carved. The time had gotten away from them this year. Jed's campaign schedule was more restrictive and Liz's pregnancy had monopolized their attention. Abbey realized just how behind they were on holiday preparations when she picked up a nearby flyer about the annual Halloween parade.

"Would I sound too much like your father if I said it doesn't feel cold enough for October?" she addressed Ellie as she peeled off her brown suede jacket after stuffing the flyer in the pocket and sitting down next to her daughter.

Ellie gave a halfhearted smile to be polite. "A little."

"Feel like a hayride later?" The 12-year-old shrugged. "They're carving pumpkins over there. That might fun."

"Maybe."

Abbey continued, trying to start a conversation. "So listen, I was thinking. For Halloween, we have two options - either, we can go the traditional route with costumes and decorations, we can turn the barn into a haunted house and you and Zoey can invite all your friends for a slumber party afterward, or, we can do something a completely different, something a little more flashy."

"Like what?"

"A murder mystery party. They have kits at the party store with scenarios made just for preteens. They give us the scenario, we buy the costumes, and that night, you guys can invite your friends over and we'll do a little role-playing to try to figure out who the killer is. What do you think?"

Another shrug from Ellie, her indifference a clear hint to Abbey. "I don't care."

"Ellie, you love murder mysteries. How can you not care?" No response. "You're as talented as your father at holding a grudge, you know that?"

"Dad doesn't hold grudges."

"No? Run the name Ron Ehrlich past him sometime," Abbey chuckled. Not even a smile from Ellie. "You have to work with me here, Ellie. I'm not used to this. When Lizzie's mad at me, she tells me in 10 different ways."

"Who said I was mad at you?"

"Well, you're not about to nominate me for Mother of the Year, so what am I supposed to think?"

"Okay, I'm mad at you."

"That's a start."

"Now you're gonna wanna talk about it."

"Yeah, as a matter of fact, I do. Talking about it will help."

"No, it won't because it's not just you."

"I know, but we have start somewhere, right?"

"I'd rather not."

"Then let's start with what else is bothering you." Abbey pulled on the sleeve to her jacket then. "Hey." Ellie looked up at her. "You can tell me anything. You know that."

"I used to."

"You don't anymore?"

"You used to understand whatever I told you."

"I still do understand, Ellie."

Ellie shook her head. "No, you don't. You're too busy to even notice what's going on."

"What, that you've been in a slump ever since school started? That you're not having any fun, that you're not meeting people and enjoying the junior high experience? Believe me, I've noticed."

"I hate it," she said in a moment of honesty that showed how unhappy she was.

"I know, and that breaks my heart."

"I wish I could go back to sixth grade, where everyone was nice and all my friends were in my class."

"I promise, sweetheart, you'll make friends in junior high. You just have to get more involved. You have to meet more people, outside of your classes."

"Yeah, right."

"I'm serious, Ellie."

"How am I supposed to meet people outside my classes? It's not like I have a social life."

Abbey brushed her hair out of her face and said, "You will. Your dad and I have decided to let you try out for the ski team."

Ellie raised a skeptical eye to her mom. "Really? I thought I was grounded forever."

"I didn't say forever; just until Christmas," Abbey teased. "Your dad thinks I overreacted. I'm still not convinced he's right, given what you did and what we knew that night."

"But you're letting me try out anyway?"

"I've talked to your teachers since then. I had your attendance records sent to my office. And we saw your report card. I believe what you said about it being a one-time thing, a foolish mistake that won't ever happen again."

"I swear, it won't."

"I trust you."

Those three words were so important Ellie. The worst part of disappointing her mother was how she felt when Abbey said she no longer trusted her. "Thanks for letting me off the hook."

"You're welcome."

"Does this mean I get my stereo back too?"

"I suppose it does."

Her lips finally curved into a smile. "And TV?"

"You get your TV privileges back, and phone, and you can go out with your friends, with permission, of course. The only thing that's not negotiable is your association with Lacy, Nicole, and Celia. I don't want you around them, okay?"

It took Ellie a second to agree, but she was still reluctant to share what was going on at school. "Okay."

Abbey sighed with relief. She feared putting that restriction on her would start another argument, but Ellie didn't want to fight any more than she did. "Then I suggest we put the past three weeks behind us and move on. Deal?"

"Deal."

Behind the stands, Jed and Liz zigzagged their way through the crowds. Jed carried two wands cotton candy in his hands, one pink and one blue, as Liz walked beside him, following his lead and stopping whenever he did. He slowed his pace at one of the booths and handed her the cotton candy to hold while he tried a sampling of Greek pastry, something he could never resist. Liz watched, amused and disapproving at the same time. She raised her brow when he reached for the tsoureki, but it was the baklava that provoked the infamous rolling of the eyes.

"Roll your eyes all you want. It's delicious!" he said when they started again on the short trek to the stands.

"How much junk have you had today?"

"That would fall under the category of none of your business."

"It is my business when you're clogging your arteries."

Without even realizing it, they had called an unspoken truce and fallen into their old father-daughter pattern of exchanging lighthearted barbs.

"I remember a time when you used to love this stuff. You'd eat more than I did and now you're lecturing me on nutrition and healthy eating?"

"Someone has to."

"Lucky for you, I already have a wife."

Abbey heard the back-and-forth as they neared and immediately steeled herself for what she thought was yet another fight.

Climbing the steps, Liz called out to her, "Mom, do you have any idea what Dad's put his mouth today?"

"No one likes a snitch," Jed scolded her with a jab to the ribs.

Liz ignored him and went on, "We stopped at a dozen booths between my car and here."

"Quit exaggerating!" Jed countered for Abbey's benefit.

"Exaggerating? We were gone 10 minutes and I'm holding two wands of cotton candy. What does that tell you?"

"For your information, Miss Busybody, one of these is for Ellie..."

Ellie took the pink wand Jed snatched out of Liz's hand to give to her. "Thanks!"

"And the other is for Zoey." Jed grabbed the blue wand protectively.

"If it's for Zoey, then why did you already take a bite of it?" Liz questioned him.

"Sit down and mind your own business!"

Liz took a seat beside Ellie, who handed her a piece of cotton candy that she promptly stuffed in her mouth, while Jed plopped down next to Abbey, still grumbling.

"It's okay to lecture me, but then she turns around and has some herself? That's what we call a hypocrite."

He caught the grin on his wife's face. "What?"

"It's just nice to see you two bantering again," Abbey told him. "I've missed it."

Jed paused briefly, then showed a bit of a grin himself and said, "So have I."

* * *

Doug Westin walked around the vacant second-floor apartment, imagining what it would be like to live there. He had slept in his car the past few nights, ever since he found out his roommate was the one who leaked Liz's pregnancy to the press. But he couldn't keep that up. He had to find a new place, somewhere cheap enough that he could afford, yet safe enough for a baby. Liz had promised to meet him here to help, but she was late and Doug assumed it was because the horse show took longer than expected.

He was grateful for the extra time. He needed it to rehearse the speech he'd already gone over a thousand times. It had to be perfect, he thought, just as perfect as Liz. He roamed the bedroom of the apartment and looked out the window, elated when he saw her down below. Her car crept toward an empty space and he watched her park, then swing open her door and step out. Nervously, he fumbled with the ring inside his pocket and then went out to greet her.

"Hey, how was the show?" he gave her a kiss hello.

"Good. Zoey came in second."

"Is she disappointed?"

"It was her first one. I think she was thrilled just to get a ribbon." Liz followed him up the rickety stairs outside and into the apartment. "Where's the landlord?"

"She gave me the key."

"Aren't they supposed to stay with you while you look at the apartment?"

Doug shrugged. "What am I gonna take?"

"True." Her eyes scanned the empty walls and the dark carpet. A little dreary for her taste, but it wasn't too bad.

"So, what do you think?"

"It's smaller than your last place."

"I'm on a budget now, with the baby coming. Other than it being smaller..."

"I like it."

"Really?"

"Yeah. It's clean, it's in a decent neighborhood. I think it's cute."

"I was hoping you'd say that! Check this out!" Doug took her by the hand, excited for her to see the bedroom. "There's a little nook over by the window. I was thinking it's perfect for a crib!"

"It is, isn't it?" Liz smiled for only a moment, then composed herself as she realized what he'd said. "A crib?"

"Well, yeah." Doug was confused. "What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing. I hadn't thought through the logistics, that's all."

"Of the apartment?"

"Of raising a baby together. I mean, I planned to get a crib for my parents' house, but I didn't even think about getting one for your place."

"I've thought about it. I've thought about a lot of things."

"Like what?"

"Sleeping arrangements, weekend plans, babysitter options."

"You've thought about all that?" She was touched and delighted at the same time.

"Of course." He had done nothing but plan their life together ever since their reconciliation. "But every time I go over it all, something seems off."

"What?"

"Us." He licked his lips and took a deep breath. "We shouldn't raise a baby in two different households. I don't want to take turns playing the parent."

Liz put her hand up to interrupt. "Doug, are you going to ask me to move in with you? Because if you are..."

"What would be wrong with it?"

"I don't know. I just never pictured myself 'shacking up' with my boyfriend." Then again, she'd never pictured herself single and pregnant at 18 either, she thought.

"I'm not talking about 'shacking up,' Liz."

"Then what are you talking about?"

His hands shaking, Doug pulled out the ring. "A life together...as husband and wife."

Liz gasped as she looked down at the diamond accent three-stone braided band. "Oh God."

"It's not the best, but it's all I can afford right now. I'll get you a better ring as soon as..."

"It's gorgeous."

Ecstatic to hear to her say that, Doug got down on one knee and took her hand in his. "I want you to be my wife. I love you, Elizabeth Ann Bartlet. Will you marry me?"

A surge of adrenaline intensified her already vulnerable emotions. Like most girls in a serious relationship, Liz had dreamed of marrying of Doug, even fantasized about his proposal. But now that the moment was here, it was more than she had ever imagined. She didn't care that it was in a vacant apartment rather than a romantic restaurant or that some might think it was the pregnancy that prompted him to slip a ring on her finger. All she cared about was Doug's sincerity. He really did love her and that's all that mattered.

Tears filled her eyes and tracked down her cheeks. Doug rose to his feet to wipe her face with his thumb.

"I love you too," she told him. "Yes, I'll marry you!"

Doug grabbed her at the waist, picked her up, and twirled around as Liz lowered her head to kiss him.

* * *

"Did you tell Liz to be home by 8?" Jed asked Abbey as he strolled into the kitchen later that night.

"You were standing right beside me when I told her," Abbey replied.

"It's 8:15 and she's not here yet."

"I'm sure she'll be here any minute. Did Ellie set the table?"

"Yeah, and Zoey's showing off her second-place ribbon to your parents."

"That should buy me the five more minutes I need for the chicken."

"And then some."

Zoey was the talker in the family, even more than her father.

"So tell me about your meeting with Peter Easton. You said he had an interesting proposal?"

"Maybe interesting's not the right word," Jed backtracked.

"Why, what did he want?"

"It's more of a hypothetical really. He wants to amend the state Constitution."

"What for?" Abbey added a little more dressing, then tossed the salad one last time.

"To reconstruct the line of succession. He thinks there should be a lieutenant governor."

"Elected?"

"Appointed, by the governor. You know, just in case..." Jed filled a glass with water and leaned against the sink as he took a sip.

"Well, he does have a point there. It doesn't make sense to me that New Hampshire doesn't have a lieutenant governor."

"It was never written into the Constitution. Frankly, the vast majority of the duties that fall under the position of lieutenant governor are delegated to the House and the Senate anyway. I guess the founders thought having a public official assigned to those tasks, on the taxpayers' dime, while acting as nothing more than the governor's shadow would be redundant."

"Redundant unless something happens to the governor."

"It's not like they didn't plan for that. Should something happen, power would go to the president of the senate."

"Whose world revolves around legislation. It's not the same as having someone who already knows the day-to-day operations of the executive branch." Abbey retrieved the chicken from the oven.

"Maybe not, but it's what we've got."

"What we've got could use some tweaking. I know you like to think of New Hampshire as the model for every state in the Union, but this is one area where the founders dropped the ball. Vermont's state Constitution specifically outlines the need for a lieutenant governor."

"Yes, and during an invasion by those barbarians from upstate New York, I'm confident Vermont's borders will be well protected by the second-in-command in Montpelier," Jed returned with that snarky tone he always used when defending his state.

"You know what..."

"Before we turn this into another Vermont versus New Hampshire skirmish, you should know I'm not opposed to the idea of a lieutenant governor. I'm just saying, there's a reason there's never been one."

"And that reason is why Easton wanted to see you today."

"Partly."

"What's the other part?"

"Should he win the election and get this amendment passed in the next four years, he's already chosen his lieutenant governor."

"And he wanted your opinion?"

"You could say that."

"Who did he pick?"

Jed took a gulp of water before breaking the news. "Me."

Abbey looked up from the counter. "You're not serious."

"Have you known me to joke about something like this before?"

"What did you say?" Jed stood there, silently. "Did you turn him down?"

"I told him I'd think about it and talk it over with you. But I can tell by the alarmed look on your face, there isn't much talking needed." He was disappointed by her reaction. "You're right, the thought of me being lieutenant governor is crazy."

"It is crazy. You're running for congress; after all this time, energy, and money, does he expect you to drop out of the race?"

"No, of course not. He hasn't even won the election, and he probably won't win. And even if he does, it's going to take at least two years to push this through the House and the Senate and then it'll be up to the voters to decide. His first term as governor will be over before anything gets done."

Abbey stared at him. "You want to do it, don't you?"

"How did you get that out of what I just said?"

"I can see it in your eyes. You want to do it. If he wins, if he has support in the statehouse, and he's able to successfully implement the position of lieutenant governor, you'd take him up on his offer."

"That's way off in the future. This is not a dilemma we need to talk about now."

"But it is a dilemma, isn't it?" she asked.

"I don't know. I've barely thought about it. He just sprung it on me; it hasn't even sunk in yet." She returned her gaze to the chicken. "You don't believe me?"

"I do believe you. But I know your heart and I know when you're contemplating something you really want to do, even if you don't realize it yourself."

"Okay, fine, you know me. Let's talk about you. Why are you so against it? I thought you'd be pleased."

"About you taking another step up the political ladder?"

"It's not a step up the political ladder. It's a do-nothing position, but it's here in New Hampshire, with you and the girls. We wouldn't have to put up with the long-distance commuting back and forth to Washington, and I'd still be involved in politics, still serving the people of the state. Sounds like a win-win to me. What's the problem?"

"I didn't realize that politics was a long-term goal, okay?"

"What does that mean?"

"You were asked to serve and you felt you had to."

"Aren't you listening to me? I didn't give Easton an answer."

"I'm talking about four years ago. You were asked to run for congress."

"Yes, and you supported me."

"And I still do. But I thought that it would be temporary, a few terms in the House and that would be it. You love teaching, Jed. I always assumed you'd want to go back to that, not become a career politician."

"I'm not saying I won't go back to teaching."

"Yes, you are. Maybe not in so many words, but I can see it in your eyes."

"You can see everything in my eyes. Do I need to be blindfolded for our conversations from now on?" He regretted the snippiness in his tone. "Sorry, I just don't think taking one opportunity is the same as making a lifelong commitment."

"One opportunity will lead to the next. You're re-evaluating things."

"What things?"

"Your career. You're not going to go back to teaching. Sometime between your last campaign and now, you've decided this is what you're meant to do." He scoffed at that. "Tell me I'm wrong."

He couldn't do it. Abbey knew him so well, it scared him sometimes.

"You're making way too many leaps, Abbey. It was a lunch date, nothing more, nothing less."

"Easton saw something in you that Rick Floyd saw four years ago when he asked you to run, something others will someday see in you as well. You're always going to be asked to serve, Jed...and you're never going to say no."

That wouldn't have bothered Abbey back in 1982, when Jed, then a state congressman and Nobel Laureate, was approached by the leadership in the U.S. House. But since then, she'd seen the unattractive side of politics. She had been the target of his opponent in his first congressional campaign and she stood by helplessly now as the press divulged the most private details of her eldest daughter's love life. And as bad as all that was, what was even worse was the death threat Jed had received last summer. It still weighed on Abbey's mind, the single most important event that kept her from jumping into Jed's arms and encouraging him to take Easton up on his offer.

"Your parents are waiting for dinner," he said. "We should table this discussion until later."

Jed walked past her, but Abbey grabbed his arm before he got away. "I love you. I'm not trying to squash your enthusiasm."

"I know."

"Do you?"

"Yeah." He dropped a quick kiss to her lips to prove he wasn't mad at her.

Zoey interrupted then.

"Daddy, can I have a trophy case for my birthday?"

Jed pulled himself together and switched gears before he addressed his youngest daughter with a proud grin. "I think that can be arranged. You'll need some place to put all your horse show ribbons and awards you're going to win."

"I already won my first!" she reminded him, dangling her red and gold ribbon in front of him as if he hadn't seen it already.

"There are many more in your future, sunshine."

"Zoey, do me a favor and take this salad to the table. We're going to start dinner." Abbey handed her the bowl.

"But Lizzie's not here."

"She'll be here soon."

"Sure," Jed grumbled.

"She will."

"Yeah, when? It's nearly 8:30."

Abbey grabbed the dessert from the fridge. "She probably lost track of time."

"Like always. She has no consideration for anyone but Doug."

"Stop it. You two were getting along fine today; don't ruin it by giving her a bad time when she comes home."

"I just don't think it's asking too much to have dinner as a family and to be here on time." Jed lifted the serving dish with the chicken and followed his wife out of the kitchen.

Abbey's parents were already seated in the formal dining room, chatting with Ellie, when Jed, Abbey, and Zoey walked in.

Mary stood to help her granddaughter set the salad bowl in the middle of the table. "Abbey, Ellie was just telling me you're considering a murder mystery party for Halloween."

"MURDER MYSTERY?" Zoey shrieked. "I wanna play!"

"We're all going to play," Abbey assured her. "But I haven't made any firm plans yet. Is that what everyone wants to do?"

A resounding "YES!" was heard from around the table.

"Lizzie's not here to vote," James said.

"Lizzie'll say yes too," Ellie promised. "She loves that stuff!"

"Where is Lizzie?" James kept on.

Jed took a sip of wine to restrain himself from the snarky reply bubbling inside him.

"She had a stop to make," Abbey answered instead. "We'll save her a plate and start without her."

"And Zoey's toast?" Jed questioned. "She'll miss it."

"I get a toast?" The six-year-old beamed.

"For coming in second at your very first horse show? Of course you get a toast!" Abbey filled her glass with milk.

"Mom, you can't toast with milk." Ellie held out her empty glass to her father, who was filling her grandparents' glasses with wine. "Wine is made for toasting."

"Nice try," Abbey poured milk into her glass instead. "Jed, do you want to start?"

It was a big accomplishment for Zoey, the girl who thought she was destined to come in last in every activity she participated in. Finally, she'd found something she was good at, and Jed and Abbey were determined to encourage her to excel at it every step of the way. They all lifted their glasses as Jed began by rattling off little-known facts about horse shows in general, a move that inspired a sigh from Ellie, and a good-natured dirty look from Jed in her direction.

After clinking their glasses, everyone began eating and in typical Bartlet fashion, the dinner table chatter took off.

"I'm here!" Liz shouted on a race through the house to get to the dining room. She arrived looking frazzled and the disappointed look on Jed's face shook her up even more.

"You missed Zoey's toast," he said.

"Sorry. I lost track of time."

"We told you how important it was to be here at eight."

"Jed, don't," Abbey warned.

"I'm sorry, Zo. I'll make it up to you."

"Sit down, dear." Mary gestured to the empty seat beside her. "Where were you?"

"With Doug."

"Doug? I didn't know you two were back together."

"It just happened."

"When?"

"The other night. He came over and apologized for everything."

"And that was it? Just a simple apology?" James prodded, confused.

"Dad, please stay out of it." Knowing James's disapproval would only goad Jed, Abbey was desperate to intervene.

"Grandpa, everything spiraled out of control," Liz explained. "It was a misunderstanding. Things are a lot better now."

"Are you serious about each other?" Mary asked curiously.

"No, they're not," Jed answered sternly from the head of the table. His annoyance at Liz for being late only fueled his dislike for Doug.

"Yes, we are." Her father's interjection didn't go over well with Liz.

"You and Doug just got back together. Logic dictates that you'd take things slow this time."

"Love isn't always logical." That sounded absurd to Jed, but little did he know what was coming. "The truth is, Doug and I are very much in love and..."

"And what?" Mary encouraged her to go on.

Liz looked around the table. She knew how her parents felt about Doug, but she was so giddy with excitement that her naiveté took control. She hoped, deep in her heart, that they'd let go of their resentment toward him and be happy for her, that they'd see his gesture as proof of how much he loved her. She curled her lips, then reached into her purse and pulled out the ring he'd given her.

"Doug proposed this afternoon."

It was awkward, the dead silence that greeted her announcement. James and Mary looked at Jed and Abbey to say something, but no one dared to utter a word. Her feelings hurt, Liz felt an overwhelming urge to say more before she broke down in tears.

"I'M ENGAGED!" She beamed proudly, holding up her ring. "Can you believe it?"

Ellie couldn't bring herself to reject the news her sister was obviously so thrilled to share. She put a smile on her face and said, "Congratulations, Lizzie!"

Following her lead, Zoey did the same. "Yeah, congratulations!"

"Congratulations, sweetheart," Mary joined in with a hug for her eldest granddaughter.

Across the table, Jed stared at his daughter in disbelief. It wasn't enough that she had gotten pregnant. It wasn't enough that she'd dropped out of Wellesley. She was bound and determined to make one bad decision after another, ruining her life before it had even begun. And what could he do? Lecture her and start another fight? Objecting would only drive her further away. He'd never felt as helpless and powerless as he did in that moment. He dropped his utensils, pushed out his chair, and stalked out of the room.

To be continued in Stealing Cinderella


End file.
